''True North'' () is a

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

Indonesian Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to: * Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia ** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago ** Indonesian ...

3D animated Computer animation is the process used for digitally generating animations. The more general term computer-generated imagery (CGI) encompasses both static scenes (still images) and dynamic images (moving images), while computer animation refer ...

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

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edited Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...

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and produced by a South Korean-Japanese filmmaker , co- produced by Sumimasen led by Shimizu and Studio Raboon. It based on years of research and interviews with former political prisoners who defected to South Korea by Shimizu, depicts a family held captive in a

prisons in North Korea North Korean prisons have conditions that are unsanitary, life-threatening and are comparable to historical concentration camps. A significant number of prisoners have died each year, since they are subject to torture and inhumane treatment. Public ...

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

. Produced over 10 years, spented on funding and gathering collaborators over 5 years of that. The film was screened at the 2020

Annecy International Animation Film Festival The Annecy International Animation Film Festival (french: Festival international du film d'animation d'Annecy, officially abbreviated in English as the Annecy Festival, or simply Annecy) was created in 1960 and takes place at the beginning of J ...

, nominated for feature films contrechamp in competition.

Plot

Park Yohan, a nine-year-old boy living in

Pyongyang Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 populatio ...

, his mother and younger sister are forcibly relocated to a notoriously cruel political prison camp in North Korea. His parents are

Zainichi Koreans comprise ethnic Koreans who have permanent residency status in Japan or who have become Japanese citizens, and whose immigration to Japan originated before 1945, or who are descendants of those immigrants. They are a group distinct from South ...

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 ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

: “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 ''Comic Book Resources'', also known by the initialism CBR, is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book–related news and discussion. History Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1995 as a development of the Kingdom Co ...

: “TRUE NORTH will make you righteously angry, but it also manages to leave you with some sense of hope.” *

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

: “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.”

External links

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References

{{Reflist 2020 films 2020 animated films 2020 computer-animated films Japanese animated feature films Japanese computer-animated films Japanese 3D films Indonesian animated films Films set in North Korea Films shot in Indonesia 2020s English-language films Films about Zainichi Korean people Animated films set in the 1960s Animated films set in Korea