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ABOUT THE FILM
"Two Sisters" is about two North Korean sisters, Mi-Jin and Yoo-Jin. In their attempt to defect to South Korea, the two must contend with treacherous weather conditions, evade merciless soldiers, and face a tragic life and death choice that will ultimately change their lives forever.
ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
Here is Director, Keola Racela's acceptance speech for winning the Gold Medal for Narrative Film at the 2014 Student Academy Awards for his previous film, ABOVE THE SEA.
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WHY WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT!- We have been
very lucky to receive the HBO Production Award of $10,000 which is a single
award given to one Columbia thesis film every year. We need to raise AT LEAST $20,000 to fly out
four key crew to Korea form NYC, hire local cast and crew in Korea such as
casting director, production designer, lifeguards and etc.
- Funds from the
campaign will also be used for housing and meals for cast and crew of 25 on a
6-day production.
- We are shooting
in Korea, away from Columbia University.
This means that we will have to rent all equipment from a local rental
house. (Camera, lighting, fog machine, rain tower, and etc.)
- All of our film
takes place at night and is mostly exterior, a lot of our funds will be spent
on renting equipment that is priority for such production and the safety
measures we must take.
WHY OUR FILM?
Our film is not an activist film but it has an activist heart. North Korean defectors are legally termed as refugees because they will be persecuted if they are sent back. Many defectors flee to China, and although China is a signatory to The 1951 Refugee Convention, under which they are obligated to protect refugees, they don’t recognize the refugee status of North Koreans. China views North Korean defectors as ‘illegal migrants’ and sends them back to North Korea to faceimprisonment and execution. We hope that
Two Sisters will get more people interested in this very important issue.
Great team! Directed by Keola Racela, the 2014 Student Academy Winner and produced
by HBO Production Awards Winner, Sarah Oh.
WAYS TO HELP
1) Please GIVE what you can! Every dollar helps.
2) SPREAD the word about our campaign! If you’ve made a donation, share it- let the world know you’ve
made a donation and they should, too! If you couldn’t make the donation, still
share the world and let the world know they should help!
3) LEARN more about North Korea. READ more about North Korea. TALK more about North korea.
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“UN says North Korea crimes could amount to genocide” – BBC
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“We were forced to eat grass and soil” – CNN
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“UN panel accuses North Korea of human rights abuses resembling Nazis” – The Guardian
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“It’s not just an
investigation and a report and that’s the end of it. It’s giving a road map and
blueprint to end this thing.” – The New York Times