FILMS FROM NORTH KOREA

FIRST BOSTON SCREENING

Saturday, April 27th, 11:00am - 6:00pm Building #3, Rm. 133, MIT
(Enter main Bldg at 77 Mass. Ave, go down main corridor to Bldg 3, bear right to Rm. 133)

Take this FIRST-TIME EVER opportunity to view films written, directed and produced in the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (North Korea).
Decide for yourself if the people of North Korea warrant the Bush administration's propaganda that demonizes and dehumanizes their leadership and country as part of an Evil Axis. 50 years of animosity in U.S. policy toward North Korea must end. No one, Americans, Koreans, or the wider international community, will gain from renewed military conflict in Korea. This screening is a first step toward increasing public awareness of and dialogue about North Korea in the hopes of building support for peace and reconciliation on the Korean peninsula and with the people of the United States.

FILMS (Free Admission)
All films in Korean with English subtitles

11:00am - Soul's Protest (100 min.)
The fictionalized story of the Japanese sabotage of the Ukishima-maru, the first ship used to repatriate conscripted Korean laborers to their homeland at the end of WWII. In the beginning the workers set out with great joy, among them Cha Myong Jin, who is reunited with his fianc? on board. Their hope for a brighter future is soon dashed and the tale ends sorrowfully. Released in 2000 and shown at the Moscow and Hong Kong International Film Festivals, and in Seoul, S. Korea.

1:00pm - A Bellflower (90 min.)
The story of a woman who devotes her youth, love, and wisdom to the task of bettering the lives of her fellow villagers in the face of personal desires for self advancement and material comforts. This universally familiar tension is played out in youthful romance, bitter separation, and, ultimately, reconciliation. Winner at the Pyongyang International Film Festival, 1987.

3:00pm - Nation and Destiny (110 min.)
The 3rd part in a 10 part series based on the true-life story of a Korean nationalist who believes his father was murdered by Korean communists during Japanese occupation. Motivated by a desire for revenge, he later becomes a brutal South Korean military officer and, later, a minister of Foreign Affairs. Following retirement and immigration to the U.S., he learns the truth of his father's life in North Korea. In this 3rd segment, he visits North Korea with startling results. Winner at the Pyongyang International Film Festival, 1992.

5:00pm - DEEP Travel Video (20 min.) and Discussion
Last summer a New York City based Korean community organization, Nodutdol, inaugurated an annual DPRK Education and Exposure Program (DEEP) for young Koreans in the U.S. to foster greater understanding of Koreans living in the north. The video shows some of what they experienced and provides the audience with a very contemporary glimpse of the DPRK. A member of the DEEP group will report on the trip and answer questions.

Sponsored by the Boston Korea Friendship Association (BKFA). Co-sponsor, DEEP Program of Nodutdol. Films presented in this screening are courtesy of Nodutdol. For information, or to support the work of BKFA, e-mail bkfa@mit.edu.