Shadow Flowers

Seung-Jun Yi / Republic of Korea (South Korea) / 2019 / East European Premiere / 109 min.

synopsis

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Ryun-hee is eager to return to her native North Korea, which she left in 2011 to seek medical treatment. Little did she know that crossing the border with South Korea would make her an enemy of the state and that she would find herself forced to live a life in exile for many years to come. She embarks on an endless struggle with the authorities, who prevent her from returning home to her husband, daughter, and aging parents. Other families that have been torn apart by the border across the Korean peninsula face similar problems as those of our heroine. Seung-jun Lee tells us the story of a Kafkaesque world of bureaucrats and high politics, which for decades has broken family ties and left feelings of emptiness and shadows of memories in people's hearts.

“I want viewers to forget about refugee stereotypes or misconceptions about North Korea. This story is not about which system is better or worse, but about being human.”

Seung-jun Lee

biography

Seung-jun Lee (1971) majored in history but has devoted himself to making documentaries since 1999. In 2008, he founded Bluebird Pictures. He focuses on social minorities and gives them a voice in his works. He was nominated for an Oscar for his documentary film In the Absence (2018). This year's Ji.hlava IDFF will also be presenting his film Planet of Snail (2011).