KIMJONGILIA
documentary
USA / Sudkorea / Frankreich, 2010
DVD, 74 Min. (OmeU)
by N. C. Helkin
followed by a discussion
9. Dezember
Topkino
18:00 / Großer Saal
For Kim Jong Il’s 46th birthday, a hybrid red begonia named kimjongilia was created, symbolizing wisdom, love, justice, and peace. The film draws its name from the rarefied flower and reveals the extraordinary stories told by survivors of North Korea’s vast prison camps, of devastating famine, and of every kind of repression. All of the interviews featured took place in South Korea, where the defectors now live. Their experiences are interspersed with archival footage of North Korean propaganda films. Along with the survivors’ stories, Kimjongilia examines the mass illusion possible under totalitarianism and the human rights abuses required to maintain that illusion.
Best Film (One World Festival Brussels & Human Rights and Democracy Network, 2010)