''Repatriation'' () is a 2004 South Korean
documentary film
A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...
that documents the lives of
unconverted long-term prisoners
"Unconverted long-term prisoners" is the North Korean term for northern loyalists imprisoned in South Korea who never renounced ''Juche''. The North Korean government considers them to be "pro-reunification patriotic fighters", while South Korean ...
imprisoned in the South for more than 30 years. They were finally set free in the 1990s when inter-Korean relations improved, and repatriated to the North.
It was presented with the Freedom of Expression Award at the 2004
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023.
The festival has acted ...
, the first time a Korean film has ever been presented with an award at the prestigious U.S. festival. It also won Best Documentary Award at the 19th
Fribourg International Film Festival
The Fribourg International Film Festival (FIFF) is an annual film festival in Fribourg, Switzerland. It is focused on selected films from Asia, Africa and Latin America. The Grand Prize is the main award of the Fribourg International Film Festival. ...
in 2005. A followup, ''The 2nd Repatriation (2차 송환)'' was released in 2022.
Production
When the unconverted long-term prisoners imprisoned in South Korea, were released after more than 30 years, they moved to Bongchun-dong, filmmaker Kim Dong-won's village.
Awards and nominations
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Repatriation
2004 films
2000s Korean-language films
South Korean documentary films
Films directed by Kim Dong-won (filmmaker, born 1955)
2004 documentary films
2000s South Korean films