True North (2020 film)

True North is a 2020 Japanese-Korean animated film directed by Eiji Han Shimizu. Telling the story of a family held captive in a brutal North Korean political prison camp, the film is based on years of research and interviews with former political prisoners who defected to South Korea, the film incorporates elements of the real-life experiences of individuals who endured some of the worst human rights abuses of our time.

True North
Directed byEiji Han Shimizu
Written byEiji Han Shimizu
Produced byEiji Han Shimizu
StarringJoel Sutton
Michael Sasaki
Brandin Stennis
Emily Helles
Edited byEiji Han Shimizu
Music byMatthew Wilder
Production
companies
Studio Raboon
Sumimasem Pte
Distributed byToei Video
Release dates
15 June 2020 (Annecy International Animation Film Festival)
4 June 2021 (Japan)
Running time
94 minutes
CountriesJapan
Indonesia
LanguageEnglish

The film was screened at the 2020 Annecy International Animation Film Festival, nominated for feature films contrechamp in competition.[1][2]

Plot

Park Yohan, a nine-year-old boy living in Pyongyang, his mother and younger sister are forcibly relocated to a notoriously cruel political prison camp in North Korea. His parents are Zainichi Koreans in the 1960s. His innocence is gradually eroded by the harsh brutality of the camp, while the rest of his family tries to maintain their decency and compassion for their fellow humans. Years later, after being devastated by the sudden and tragic loss of a loved one, he begins to reassess the meaning of his life - even as he struggles to survive in the worst imaginable living conditions.

Voice cast
  • Joel Sutton as Park Yohan
  • Michael Sasaki as Insu
  • Brandin Stennis
  • Emily Helles

Reception
  • The Hollywood Reporter: “A rare glimpse inside a North Korean prison camp. This tale is for anyone interested in learning more about one of the world's most blatant crimes against humanity."
  • Comic Book Resources: “TRUE NORTH will make you righteously angry, but it also manages to leave you with some sense of hope.”
  • Rotten Tomatoes: “Through this young boy’s eyes we witness the worst and the best of humanity. Proving once again that the medium can do more than children’s content, the animation here helps the subject matter leave a strong emotional mark and enables the filmmaker to access an unseen reality.”

References
  1. True North - Annecy
  2. "'True North' Review Annecy 2020". Hollywood Reporter. 2020-06-19. Retrieved 2020-07-15.
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