Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

2011-12-27T18:11:00.000-08:00

http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/blog/wither-the-abductees-in-a-post-kim-jong-il-north-korea

FROM THE INDEPENDENT LENS BLOG, December 20, 2011

With news of the death of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il, we immediately thought of the implications for the Japanese citizens abducted by Kim’s regime and never returned. So we asked Chris Sheridan, who made Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story with co-director Patty Kim and Academy Award-winning producer Jane Campion, to provide us with an update.

KIM JONG-IL DEATH BRINGS NEW HOPE, FEARS FOR JAPANESE ABDUCTEES
by Chris Sheridan

The death of Kim Jong-il this week is a bittersweet moment for the families of Japanese citizens kidnapped by North Korean secret agents in the 1970s and 1980s. On the one hand, many of them are pleased the man they believe is personally responsible for their loved ones’ disappearance is now history. But they are now faced with uncertainty as they deal with Kim Jong-un, a new leader whose positions on every issue, including the fate of their relatives, is a total mystery.

In 2002, Kim Jong-il admitted his secret agents kidnapped 13 Japanese citizens, including Megumi Yokota, a 13-year-old girl who was walking home from school in 1977 when she vanished. Megumi’s parents were the centerpiece for our film Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story as their struggle to get answers about their daughter’s disappearance went to the highest levels of government eventually affecting Japan’s discussions over North Korea’s burgeoning nuclear weapons program.

North Korea returned five of the 13 people in October, 2002. They claim the rest are dead, the victims of various accidents. Megumi, say North Korean officials, killed herself. But Megumi’s parents don’t believe North Korea’s claim and with the support of the Japanese government, have pressed for more concrete proof ever since. In 2004, North Korea returned what it claimed were her charred remains but the results of DNA tests proved inconclusive.

After the announcement of Kim Jong-il’s death, Megumi’s parents, who are the most well-known of all the abductees’ families, summed up the sentiment of many of the relatives of those kidnapped. “I’m not sure if this will lead in a positive or negative direction,” said Shigeru Yokota, Megumi’s 79-year-old father. “But I fear there will be chaos inside North Korea, which means they’ll stay away from the abduction issue.” Meanwhile, Megumi’s mother, Sakie, put her thoughts about Kim’s death very simply, “I wish Kim Jong-il had released the people who were abducted before he passed away.”

Shigeo Iizuka, whose sister is among those kidnapped citizens that North Korea claims are dead, said Monday, “I’m worried about who’ll be in charge of resolving the abduction problem on the North Korean side.” And, like many families of the abductees, he wonders if Kim Jong-un will even care enough to want to doanything. “Is Mr. Jong-un a person who’ll understand us? Or are we going to have to be more aggressive?” Kenichi Ichikawa, whose brother was kidnapped in 1978 — North Korea claims he’d since drowned — hopes that Kim Jong-un will view the abduction issue as a relic from a past government, and that “will lead to the possibility the abductees will be freed.”

Meanwhile, those Japanese citizens who were returned home to Japan in 2002, after spending a quarter of a century in North Korea, all expressed very similar concerns over the safety of fellow abductees who may still be alive in North Korea. “I ask the Japanese government to carefully monitor the situation and do its best to ensure the safety of those who are still there,” said Kaoru Haisuke, who was taken in 1978.

Some see the transition ofpower in North Korea as a clear chance to gain answers, and ultimately rescue loved ones — children, brothers, and sisters — who’d been kidnapped decades ago. Hitomi Soga, who was kidnapped along with her mother back in 1978 and returned to Japan in 2002, said, “I hope utmost efforts will be made [by those concerned] to make use of this opportunity and bring home all abductees.”

NORTH KOREA FREEDOM FEST 2011

2011-03-24T04:30:00.000-07:00

Hi all...if you're in the Washington, DC area on April 25 and 26, please join us for the first-ever North Korea Freedom Fest, which will highlight three award-winning documentaries including ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story. Held at the West End Cinema. www.westendcinema.com

This event is part of North Korea Freedom Week.

PETER FRAMPTON DEDICATES SONGS TO MEGUMI

2010-09-26T07:49:00.001-07:00

Well over 30 years since he shot to global fame with his iconic album, “Frampton Comes Alive!”, the U.K. rock guitarist and singer Peter Frampton is still writing about the 1970s. But don’t expect tales of rock’n’roll excess: Mr. Frampton has dedicated two tracks on his latest album to Megumi Yokota, a Japanese woman abducted as a girl by North Korean agents over 30 years ago and still unaccounted for.

The album, “Thank You Mr. Churchill,” contains the tracks “Asleep at the Wheel,” an extended lament for Ms. Yokota’s plight, and the instrumental, “Suite Liberte,” the first part of which is titled “Megumi”.

Ms. Yokota was kidnapped from the northern coastal city of Niigata in 1977 at age 13 by North Korean agents so she could help train North Korean spies. She reportedly married and had a child in Pyongyang. In 1997, North Korea admitted to the abduction, but said she committed suicide in 1994. Tests of DNA remains handed over to the Japanese authorities were inconclusive, and her parents and their supporters believe she is still alive.

In an e-mailed response to queries through his publicist, Mr. Frampton said he began thinking about Ms. Yokota after seeing a documentary about her on a PBS program called “Independent Lens”. “I taped the show and watched it over and over as I couldn’t believe it,” said the 60-year-old rocker and father of three. “The documentary made me think what if it was my child one day on the way to school that never came home? That could be me. That’s why it hit me so hard. It struck a deep emotional nerve.”

In “Asleep at the Wheel,” Mr. Frampton sings:

“So hard to imagine, when taken by strangers against your will,

you swallow in silence with petrified tears, bound and so still,

God knows what you’re thinking ’cause life as you knew it has just disappeared.”

At about the same time Ms. Yokota was abducted, Mr. Frampton was reaching the pinnacle of his fame. “Frampton Comes Alive!” was released in 1976 and was the best-selling album in the U.S. that year. It went on to become one of the best-selling live albums of all time.

While Mr. Frampton said he would “love” to visit Japan, he doesn’t have any plans to do so soon. If he does come, he said he would “love to meet Megumi’s parents”, especially if it would help raise awareness of the issue.

OBAMA TALKS ABOUT ABDUCTEES

2009-11-19T05:32:00.000-08:00

Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009

Abductees' kin hail Obama's North stance
Kyodo News

Relatives of people abducted by North Korea praised U.S. President Barack Obama's speech Saturday for delivering a strong, clear message that the matter should be settled.

"He sent a clear message to North Korea and it meant that (Pyongyang) needs to change its approach to international society," said Shigeru Yokota, whose daughter, Megumi, was taken to the reclusive country in 1977 at age 13.

Yokota, who turned 77 on Saturday, and his wife, Sakie, 73, were among invitees to Suntory Hall in Tokyo where Obama touched on the abduction issue in a major address on his first trip to Asia since taking office in January.

"The path for North Korea to realize this future is clear: a return to the six-party talks; upholding previous commitments, including a return to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty; and the full and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," Obama said.

"And full normalization with its neighbors can only come if Japanese families receive a full accounting of those who have been abducted," he said.

Sakie Yokota said she hopes the North will take Obama's speech seriously.

"It was a strong message and I'm pleased with it," she said. "Obama took up the abduction issue with impressive words that clearly showed his policy. I feel things will start moving in the right direction."

Obama's remarks on North Korea's past abductions of Japanese nationals came in his first major speech about his foreign policy on Asia, in which he also pledged to strengthen the relationships between the United States and other Asia-Pacific nations.

"We will do so through our close friendship with Japan — which will always be a centerpiece of our efforts in the region," Obama told the audience of about 1,500 people, which included invitees from the political and business circles, as well as traditional Japanese arts.

Among the lawmakers in the audience, Deputy Prime Minister Naoto Kan of the Democratic Party of Japan described Obama's speech as "impressive."

"I was impressed with the way he made clear that the United States places importance on its ties with the Asia-Pacific region," Kan said of the speech, which also stated that the U.S. commitment to Japan's and Asia's security is "unshakable."

2009-08-10T08:48:00.000-07:00

American journalists Laura Ling (right) and Euna Lee reunite with their families after nearly 5 months in North Korea.

Hi folks...

Seeing those two American journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, walk off that plane last week in California recalled those images of the Japanese abductees returning to Tokyo in 2002 into the loving arms of their families for the first time in 25 years. We couldn't help feel a mixture of happiness and sadness when Ms. Lee and Ms. Ling finally came home. The Yokota family has waited more than 30 years to see Megumi again and many, many attempts to get her back have proved fruitless, much to the frustration of her family and the Japanese people. A film writer contacted us recently to ask us to react to the return of the Americans since he, too, saw the parallels having seen the film when it was first released in 2006. Our interview is below. We only hope that there is some kind of bounce from the Clinton trip to North Korea that may create a new spark in the effort to get answers about Megumi...

FROM WHAT WOULD TOTO WATCH BLOG

http://whatwouldtotowatch.com/2009/08/10/wwtw-interview-abduction-filmmaker-chris-sheridan/

WWTW Interview: ‘Abduction’ filmmaker Chris Sheridan
AUGUST 10, 2009
When news broke about two American journalists arrested in North Korea, my first thoughts went to a terrific 2006 documentary recalling the disappearance of an innocent Japanese girl.

“Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story,” by filmmakers Chris Sheridan and Patty Kim, documented how North Korean spies kidnapped a 13-year-old Japanese girl as well as many other citizens.

So, WWTW reached out to Sheridan for his thoughts on the journalists’ release and the impact the news might have for others in a similar situation.

WWTW: What was your first reaction when you heard two American journalists has been arrested by North Korean officials?

CS: I have to say that my first reaction was: “that could’ve been me.”

My second reaction was: “there’s going to be a lot fewer American journalists going to the border now.” I think that was probably a common reaction amongst journalists and filmmakers who’ve been to dicey parts of the world. When you’re dealing with North Korea, you’re dealing with a country that plays by its own rules that change by the minute depending on what mood they’re in. Laura Ling and Euna Lee now understand that.

Many, many journalists and filmmakers have been along the same border and probably crossed in and out of North Korea, sometimes knowingly, sometimes unknowingly. They just happened to be there when North Korea needed some leverage in their ongoing dispute with the United States.

When I read the news, I knew North Korea would use them for some political ends. The North Koreans have been annoyed at the U.S., Japan and South Korea for the past year over the breakdown of talks over the nuclear issue. And they’re probably not too happy about the way the Western media portrays the whole dispute. This was a perfect way for them to jab the media in the eye and tell them to back off. Guarantee you that it worked. Anyone working on a documentary now is going to think twice about sneaking close to the Chinese-North Korean border. The same way that more than a few journalists and filmmakers probably thought twice about venturing outside the green zone in Iraq once people started getting their heads chopped off.

The real question that will need to be answered as a result of this trip is: “what did North Korea get from the Clinton trip?” They rarely do favors for others unless they get something in return. Kim Jong Il knows that when he’s talking to Bill, he’s talking to Hillary so I’m sure there was a laundry list of demands. Would love to know what those are especially since they are most likely related to the issue of whether North Korea continues to develop its nuclear weapons program.

WWTW: The two journalists have been freed …. what are the ramifications of this?

CS: This may, hopefully, shed some light on Kim Jong Il himself. Nothing earth-shattering but it may give policymakers and pundits a chance to see how this man’s brain works. The Clinton trip was a reaffirmation that Mr. Kim does respond very favorably to celebrities. Yes, Bill Clinton is a former U.S. President. But more importantly, he is a rock star. And he’s the kind of rock star Kim Jong IL might like — a playboy with liberal sensibilities and international appeal. This is a fact that has escaped many negotiators in the past. Bill Richardson has been effective but he’s not a heavyweight. Or, at least, the kind of American who garners big headlines and big interest.

Did you see how eager Kim Jong Il was to get a picture with Clinton? I say send Kobe Bryant and Angelina Jolie next time we send an American delegation to Pyongyang. I bet we’d get a lot further on the diplomatic front than in the past.

WWTW: President Clinton says he spoke to Kim Jong Il about other prisoners/hostages from South Korea? Could the trip make progress on that front, or at least give added exposure to these cases?

CS: I have to say that seeing those two Americans get off the plane was a little sad for me. I was happy, of course, that they were home and with their families. But knowing that Bill Clinton, with the help of the US government, did in just a few months what the families of the Japanese abductees and their government have been unable to do for more than 30 years gave me a little pang of sadness.

Megumi’s father said as much in a press conference last week following the Americans’ return. Can you imagine how he felt when he saw how quickly those women were returned while his little girl has been stuck inside North Korea for more than 30 years?

The flip side is, of course, that Mr. Clinton is aware that there are others still in North Korea. I do think this will, at the very least, create a greater awareness in the Clinton family, and, by extension, the State Department, of the Japanese abductions. Hopefully, by hearing Euna Lee and Laura Ling’s stories of struggle and hardship in North Korea, Mr. Clinton will take a more personal interest in those people who are still trapped there.

WWTW: Has the U.S. media done an accurate job reporting on the journalists’ situation? What might reporters have done differently or included to make audiences better understand the situation?

CS: I think it’s pretty hard to report anything fairly when it comes to North Korea. And the North Koreans certainly didn’t help themselves by snatching two journalists, trying them quickly and sentencing them to hard labor. Pretty hard to get a fair hearing in the Western press when you take two of their own. Moreover, North Korea has no spokesperson, no think tanks, no PR firms, no advocacy groups, nothing in the United States so it’s kind of difficult to say that the media does a fair job when reporting on anything related to them. That’s not a defense of North Korea, by the way, just a fact.

I think the American media does the best it can with what it has. I think the only thing I would’ve liked to see more of is an attempt to explain why North Korea does what it does from the inside rather than from the outside.

WWTW: Do you still follow the case of the missing people highlighted in your film, “Abduction?”

CS: Absolutely. We correspond with them all the time just to let them know we’re still thinking about them and praying for them. As I said, when the two journalists were freed, I immediately went online to see if the family of Megumi Yokota had reacted. They had. And rightly so. I really, really hope and wish that the Laura Ling and Euna Lee experience will somehow translate into more support for the Japanese abductees.

I will even take it a step further and say that I hope Ms. Ling and Ms. Lee themselves will translate their personal experience into support for the Japanese families since they now understand what it’s like to be taken from their families and denied a chance to live freely.

ABDUCTION WINS DUPONT AWARD!

2009-01-13T07:45:00.000-08:00

Hey all,

ABDUCTION has been honored with one of the highest journalism awards in the US. The prestigious Dupont Award was given to the film. Directors Chris Sheridan and Patty Kim will be presented with the Silver Baton at a ceremony on Thursday, January 22nd at Columbia University in New York. The host of the event will be CBS News anchor Katie Couric. The press release is below. For more info, go to

www.journalism.columbia.edu/cs/ContentServer/jrn/1165270069766/page/1175295284582/JRNSimplePage2.htm

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE:

Abi Wright, aew2113@columbia.edu, (212) 854-5047
Clare Oh, clare.oh@columbia.edu, (212) 854-5479

2009 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award Winners Announced
Dallas’ WFAA Wins Highest Honor – First Local Station to Win
Awards Expand to Include Web-only Broadcasts

New York, NY, January 12, 2009—Thirteen winners of the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards were announced today by Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. WFAA-TV, Dallas, will receive a Gold Baton, the awards’ highest honor, for its continuing commitment to outstanding investigative reporting. It will be the first time a local station has won a Gold Baton in that award’s 20-year history.

Selected by the duPont Jury for excellence in broadcast journalism, the award-winning news programs aired in the United States between July 1, 2007 and June 30, 2008. The honorees will be presented with duPont Batons at a ceremony on Thursday, January 22, 2009 at Columbia University.

The duPont Jury also announced today that it is expanding the categories of entries for 2008-2009 to include Web-only news broadcasts. The Jury will look for the best example of an original news story using video or audio that is broadcast exclusively on the Web.

This year’s awards will go to news programs featuring a wide range of topics and production styles. They include international reports, such as ABC News Nightline’s gripping combat reporting in eastern Afghanistan; NPR’s breaking news coverage of the earthquake in China; CNN’s global documentation of the rise of religious fundamentalism; and a courageous report from Current TV on Russian neo-Nazis. Other programs to be honored include an illuminating California Newsreel investigation into health disparities in the United States; a prescient radio coproduction from NPR and This American Life about the subprime mortgage crisis; a chilling investigation into corrupt pediatric dental clinics by WJLA-TV, Washington, DC; and a series of reports by WTVT-TV, Tampa, that freed a wrongfully convicted man from prison.

“This remarkable and diverse group of duPont winners is a tribute to the excellent reporting done by journalists in local and national markets across the country. We honor these journalists for telling vital stories that bring critical issues to light,” said Ann Cooper, duPont Jury chair and coordinator of the broadcast department at the Journalism School.

CBS News Anchor and 60 Minutes Correspondent Katie Couric will host the awards ceremony on Thursday, January 22, 2009 in the Rotunda of Columbia University’s Low Memorial Library. Couric will be joined by NBC News Co-Anchor Hoda Kotb and Ira Glass of This American Life in presenting 13 duPont Batons at the evening ceremony.

ABC News’ Bob Woodruff interviewed several of the duPont winners for the PBS special program Telling the Truth: The Best in Broadcast Journalism, premiering January 15. Check local listings. Telling the Truth, an annual feature on public television stations, includes excerpts of the winning duPont programs and explores how these reporters and producers develop leads, pursue their investigations, get access to for critical interviews and sometimes risk their lives to get the story. The program is produced by Will Cohen and Martin Smith of RAINmedia.

The Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards honoring excellence in broadcast journalism were established in 1942 by Jessie Ball duPont in memory of her husband, Alfred I. duPont. With his cousins, Mr. duPont transformed their gunpowder company into the chemical company E.I. duPont de Nemours. He later created a successful financial institution in Florida and was owner of a chain of small-town newspapers in Delaware.

The duPont Awards, administered since 1968 by Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, are considered to be the most prestigious broadcast journalism awards and the equivalent of the Pulitzer Prizes, which are also administered at the Journalism School.
Learn more about the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards for excellence in broadcast journalism at www.dupont.org.

Abi Wright
Director, Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards,
John Chancellor Award
Graduate School of Journalism
Columbia University
212-854-5047
www.journalism.columbia.edu

"ABDUCTION" FEATURED ON CBS NEWS!

2008-07-08T05:19:00.000-07:00

On Monday, July 7th, the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric featured "ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story". Patty Kim, co-director of the film, was interviewed as part of the story. See it by putting this site in your browser:

www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=4239652n

AMERICANS RESPOND TO MEGUMI'S STORY

2008-06-24T12:32:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone...just wanted to share the overwhelming response we got from PBS viewers online following the film's airing last week. We've received a number of emails as well. Here are a sampling of the people who took the time to write the PBS website with their comments...All of these comments will be sent to the parents of Megumi Yokota so they can see that Americans really do care about them...

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Truly sad.

Was it just me or was the song during the closing credits really moving? Anyone know name and artist?

Editors note:

Music credits can be found here:
http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/abduction/credits.html

Posted by: calvin on June 24, 2008

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I viewed this great doc at 4 in the am in pensacola, I was finishing my tour in South Korea during the time the little girl was abducted. The North Korean dictators proved to be reckless and evil. They are today an even greater threat to free people.I pray all those who have lost their children may find them. I pray also for the demise of this blood thirsty North Korean leader.

Posted by: glenn rothe on June 23, 2008

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I stayed up late last night to watch this film and barely slept afterwards. I kept thinking of Megumi and her parents and all the other families as well. It was heart wrenching. This is the first time I have even heard of this situation. I can only imagine the terror the abductees felt and the suffering the families endured. My thoughts and prayers go out to all involved. I hope the Japanese Prime Minister will be able to resolve this issue with the North Korean government but it is doubtful given it is led by someone that is not rational. Thank you for bringing this story to the US.

Posted by: Maureen Smith on June 23, 2008

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I was and continue to feel the the loss of Megumi Yokota's entire family. Not only their loss, but also the deppression and completely helpless feelings of the child who so needs the protection and comfort of her mother. And the frustration and dispair of a mother who so badly wants to protect and comfort her baby girl. I am not able to just let this go. How will we know if and when all of our prayers are answered? How will we know when Megumi is returned to her family?

Posted by: Annie Mitchell on June 23, 2008

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Megumi's abduction and her parents' suffering for so many years caused by a North Korean dictator and lack of interest by the politicians was so sad. I doubt if the politicians would sit by if it happened to one of their daughters. Our hearts go out to the Yokota family and we hope they will someday be able to rest with some resolution of their daughter's case

Posted by: christina matchett on June 23, 2008

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This film was incredible. I'm sure I'll be burdened by the emotions elicited from it like I am now for a long time. My one thought is why did the North Koreans feel they needed to abduct ordinary or any citizens like Megumi? For what possible gain? The misery and ire of all decent people who see this is all they gain. Not military mite. That effort will eventually implode on them. I hope the Japanese, US and all free world nations continue to pressure NK till it gives in to their paranoia and start treating people like people.

Posted by: Wes M. on June 23, 2008

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I knew when they started saying some of the abductees had died and when they started giving the cause of their deaths that this was false information. I was outraged but not surprised. I give all my support to Megumi's parents and brothers and the other family members still looking for their loved ones that they can continue until they have the answers. I do not know how the North Korean government got that little girl (Megumi's daughter) to lie on tape with such a straight face. I wonder what torture is still going on there. I strongly urge our government to do whatever it takes to find the truth about where the rest of the abductees are now. Also positive proof that this truth is valid. The families MUST have closure. North Korea MUST pay the price.

Posted by: Colette L Molumby on June 23, 2008

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I am glad to learn Mr and Mrs Yokota's story. It is one that is important to the entire world; all nations should be asking for an explanation.

My hope is that their daughter is returned, and that they meet their granddaughter. I will keep this hope in my heart.

Posted by: Leslie Spires on June 23, 2008

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Watching this film really affected me in many ways. Since my oldest son died, I really relate to the pain of the parents. My heart cries also for the brothers. My other children are hurting badly too, and it has really crushed our family although we know he is with the Lord in Heaven. I wonder what happened to the parents of this girl. Are they still alive? I was touched by the faith of the mother, and pray for the salvation of the father and brothers. It grieves me not to be able to afford a grave marker for my son. I cant imagine how awful not to even be able to bury your child. It is such a tragedy that NK would not care about the families of these who were abducted. I wonder what happened to those survivors who returned to their families. This story should be continued with what has happened since this film was made.

Posted by: Kajern Niemi on June 23, 2008

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I never thought I could experience all emotions in one documentary. Admirably, I watched as walks along the beach were shared by a couple. Unbelievably, I cried uncontrollably at the return of only 5 abductees. What is this thing in humans that causes such aggression to exist? The removal of a human being from its natural environment without any regard to its surroundings. This "rape" of life is an abomination. A government whose spirit is capable of such disregard to another government's culture. Oh, but there is another spirit in this film that is also very evident. To not acknowledge it would be to give ignorance full play of our mental ability to move on. The parent of Megumi have a resilience and tenacity that is unforgetable. Their faith, their heart, their love for their daughter is felt through out the film. I appreciated seeing that family can perservere in spite of. My prayer is that this young lady is safe and her parents be given sweet sleep.

Posted by: Sonya Benoit on June 23, 2008

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This was moving, emotional and strangely uplifting. The heartbreak and the idea of stolen people is beyond belief but being government sanctioned is just plain cruel. I would have never believed it had I not viewed this documentary film. The families were so brave and passionate for so long..bravo for seeking the truth.

Posted by: G. Hill on June 23, 2008

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This story left me speechless...I felt angry, helpless...but overall, completely despondent. I've never watched anything that was so moving...and in the end, I am a bit troubled about Megumi's disappearance being unresolved. There has to be a way to figure it all out...and I sincerely believe she's still alive. Her parents have so much strength and dignity, never giving up, and still not giving up on their daughter. My heart clenched when they showed Megumi's daughter and she said she had no idea her mom was Japanese.

There's also the fact that cannot be ignored; the reality that Megumi has been in North Korea for more than half of her life and even has a daughter (perhaps even a family) of her own? After years of struggling...maybe she learned to accept that seeing the land she called home is not a close possibility

I'm not even sure what else to say...But as I stated before, I still believe she's alive. The North Korean government isn't to be trusted (changing date of death, sending an urn of contaminated 'remains') but also the interview with the Korean gentleman who's heard she's working as a Japanese teacher to Kim Jung Il's son...Megumi's (and the others who had been abducted and claimed to passed away)will perhaps never be resolved...but their families deserve to know the truth...if not have their family members returned, AT LEAST let them know the truth about their child/brother/sister. I hope Megumi's and the other families receive closure soon. 30 years of waiting is long enough.

I'm still absolutely astounded by this Independent Lens.

Posted by: Ma Ri on June 22, 2008

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I was captivated by this show. It is incredibly sad, but also incredibly powerful...the absolute love and devotion of Megumi's parents through these years. Their strength is a witness to everyone who is in the midst of tragedy of any kind. I will pray for those abducted and their families. I will also pray that a full disclosure will occur one day soon.

Posted by: a friend from the Land of Enchantment (USA) on June 22, 2008

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I remember hearing something about North Korea abducting Japanese citizens on the news a few years ago. This film explained much more that a brief news item could never do. I feel so much sympathy for the families of the abductees. I would love to hear that Megumi has contacted her family, since it seems that she may still be alive. Even if she does not return to Japan permenantly, hearing from her would be such a comfort to her parents and brothers. If Megumi does have a husband and daughter, they should know that she was not a willing immigrant to North Korea. I hope that the North Korean Government may finally change and let the complete story be told.

Posted by: jm on June 22, 2008

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Last night I watched "Abduction: The Megumi Yokata Story." I cannot explain my feelings toward it. I cried, I felt anger, I wanted to jump into the television set and hug both of Megumi's parents. I admire Megumi's parent's for being so brave, so determined, and never giving up hope. My heart goes out to all of the families (including Megumi's) who have been told that their loved one is dead. I will never forget this story and it is my sincere wish that the world never forgets!

Posted by: Anonymous on June 20, 2008

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This film left such an impression on me. I had never heard of Megumi's story until now. I was rocked emotionally while viewing the ups and downs of these families. For just that one hour I felt their pain and it is has impacted me in ways that I cannot describe. My God- I don't even want to ponder what it is like to wake up day after day, year after year, season after season and not know where my loved one is. I will pray for their families and let others know about Megumi's story. As the daughter of Cuban exiles I've come to the conclusion that when dealing with such regimes one never knows the whole truth...

Posted by: Melissa Sarmiento on June 20, 2008

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I was completely captured by the poingancy of this documentary. The dignity of Megumi's family and those of the other abductees was stunning. Sadly I doubt that NK will ever fully disclose the information needed to bring resolution to these long suffering families. Providing false human remains in two cases points to their intent to continue the charade. It would be indeed shocking if the 13 highlighted aren't only the tip of the iceberg.

I hope the Japanese government continues to bear pressure on NK until the truth can be given these families. Truth isn't resolution or peace but it could be closure. Elizabeth Turner

Posted by: Elizabeth Turner on June 20, 2008

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Films like this remind us all why independent filmakers and public television is so important - where else would a story like this be told in the United States? Chris Sheridan, Patty Kim and Jane Campion did a masterful job of capturing the awful emotion the families have experienced as they have dealt with their own losses and fought two governments for the truth. Although this story has been well known in Japan for years, it is only now, through this film, that many in the United States will become aware of it. I strongly encourage all viewers to follow up with their representatives and demand that Washington hold Pyongyang to strict accountability on this issue.

Posted by: Joseph Davis on June 20, 2008

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I was profoundly moved by this story and will be troubled by its inability to be resolved. Is Megumi dead or were the remains not hers? Is the investigation still on or has it been closed? How awful that the North Korean govt has gotten away with these horrendous abductions. Cant the US do any more to gain resolution?

Posted by: judi meyers on June 20, 2008

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I was about to go to sleep and I saw this. I stayed up and watched the whole thing. There was a saying that someone in the movie had said was an old Japanese saying. "Spirired Away" as soon as I heard that I immediately thought of the movie that was created by Hayao Miyazaki. This documentary made me realize that a lot of things go on around the world at once. News from other countries aren't really talked about in U.S. newspapers. I really hope that the parents of Megumi attain their goal.

Posted by: K on June 20, 2008

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It's unlikely that my words will reach the eyes or ears of Megumi's parents but I wish to let all know that a personal war is in order. The emotions of Megumi's parents, brothers, loved ones, and the loved ones of all the abducted, have set an inferno in my spirt that may forever motivate me to do what it takes to help. If I should ever be given the opertunity to fight against the communist of north korea and china, the blade of my mind and at my side will forever be honed with the lives of their captors. Send me to find your sons, daughters, brothers, and sisters and I swear with my life I would have them returned with the heads of two communist generals per year they were taken from you. Let the world know your pain reach out to governments other than your own. Never give up.

Posted by: White Fang on June 20, 2008

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Moving, brilliant, emotionally gripping. I wept for the families and the abducted.

Posted by: Jack on June 20, 2008

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'We' might never know the whole truth until Korea's dictatorship changes for the better.

Posted by: Texas Farmer on June 20, 2008

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No, I don't think the abductions will ever be completely resolved. Just as when we were informed that an urn of ashes was returned, my initial thought was to DNA test, then a split second later, I realized that it would probably be impossible to confirm or deny. I was shocked that North Korea wouldn't have tested it themselves--of course, they knew the results would be inconclusive. Heartwrenching story--one of those that will haunt me for years.

I was amused and saddened by the comment of one Japanese person that if this happened in the USA, we would declare war. Sadly, even LOCAL authorities in many towns are reluctant to respond to Missing Persons reports--years later, family members are still looking and the government has filed the case away as a cold file. I actually came to this website to try and find out WHY these people were abducted in the first place, as I missed the first 15 to 20 minutes. Was this addressed? I don't know if I have ever heard of abducting a CHILD unless it was slave or sexual trade, but she was the only child disclosed. So...how do I locate the place where other people have left comments? Thanks!

Posted by: Kim Craigo on June 20, 2008

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I cried for the mother and father and the brothers who have had to carry on with their lives without her and without really knowing what happened to her. I hoped that their daughter would come home with the other abductees and they would get to hold her in their arms once more. It is heartbreaking to see these people fight with such dignity to try and get someone to listen to them and do something. They deserve better than to be lied to. This was a story that needed to be told and I hope that it will help all of the families who have lost someone. The story is so bizarre and nightmarish. It had to be told and I thank you for making this film. Thank you.

Posted by: Jacqueline Mustill on June 20, 2008

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I feel for the Yokota family and I will be praying for them and their daughter. That they hear from her.
I do not believe it will ever be resolved completely.
I believe Megumi choose to stay in North Korean and not leave her daughter and husband. She does not want her daughter to go without a mother as she had to.

I think they had a choice to go home and never look back (or ever say anything or the ones they left behind would be harmed) or be reported dead and stay. In 29 years they are bound to have loved someone as much as their parents and family. It would be hard to just let it go and start all over again. But what about all of the others that were abducted and not given a choice or their governments do not know they were among the abducted ones.

I believe all the Yokota family wants to know their daughter is okay and to hear from her even if they never get to see her again. Just to talk to her and now and then and to know she is okay and to let her know how much she is missed and loved by them. Maybe the ones that did come home will tell them something to comfort them.

They are very strong people and I admire how well they are doing unlike the poor mother who died before seeing her son again. And the brother who is helping by trying everything to get his sister back.

Posted by: Diane Fuller on June 20, 2008

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I cried so much watching Megumi Yokota's story tonight... My thoughts are with her and her family right now, I hope she's alive and she'll soon be reunited with her family. If she's dead as the North Korean government affirms, I hope she's in peace. May the truth comes out, for her sake and her family's. I really hope it will soon all revealed. Resolved? I don't think it can be resolved. All these years and all this pain will never be resolved... It's a really good documentary.

Posted by: Valeria on June 20, 2008

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This story touched our family deeply, such sadness for her parents. What did North Korea hope to gain by this? Why do abuctors get away with this, to take people from all who love them and destroy so many lives. It is so sad we live in a world where our children are not safe. I so wish someday they will find her alive. We will keep them in our prayers.

Posted by: Michelle on June 20, 2008

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Unless the Japanese government continues to put economic pressure on the North Korean government, the last 8 members will never come home. My sense of justice is outraged that North Korea has been allowed to get away with their horrible actions against these people and possibly many more! The United States should also put pressure on North Korea to aid Japan in their push for returning their own citizens to the country.

Posted by: Joanna Shumaker on June 20, 2008

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I do not think that the truth will ever be told as long as North Korea is under the rule of Il.

Posted by: Christina from Reston, VA, USA on June 20, 2008

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probally not..maybe someday this family will finally learn the real truth about there daughter. north but in the hands of the korean govermnt to tell the truth these poor people desearves that much.

Posted by: stacy on June 20, 2008

GREAT REVIEWS IN PHILLY AND HARTFORD!

2008-06-19T07:54:00.000-07:00

The lost girl

Truth isn't just stranger than fiction in general - every once in a while, it's even stranger than "Lost."
Certainly polar bears on a tropical island have nothing on tonight's presentation of PBS' "Independent Lens" (10 tonight, Channel 12).
"Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story" begins with the 1977 disappearance of a 13-year-old schoolgirl from a seaside town in Japan and ends in another time and place altogether and in a way that could keep conspiracy theorists going for decades.
And that's assuming the story's even really at an end.
You could Google "Megumi Yokota" and get the whole sorry, surrealistic tale laid out in a tidy entry in Wikipedia, but then you'd miss the suspense built up in this 90-minute documentary by Patty Kim and Chris Sheridan, which painstakingly tracks each of the ripples from Megumi's disappearance to a distant shore.
Did I mention that almost everything in the film is subtitled, so that looking away simply isn't an option?
Or that every time you think you finally know what happened to Megumi, some new possibility is introduced?
Come for the mystery, stay for the characters.
Chief among them: Megumi's parents, Shigeru and Sakie, whose apparently unwavering devotion to finding their daughter takes them, too, to places they probably never have expected to see.

Stunning 'Abduction' On PBS; Penn & Teller Expose 'Bull@#$%!'

Roger Catlin | TV EYE
June 19, 2008
Article tools

One thing about the lapse of international reporting is that a story as well-covered in Asia as the 1977 abduction of a 13-year-old Japanese schoolgirl that turned into an international incident comes as a complete surprise in the U.S.

The twists and turns in "Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story," which serves as season finale for "Independent Lens" (CPTV, 10 p.m.), have been chronicled as they unfolded over 30 years in Japan.

But here, the mystery — and the tenacity of the long-suffering parents — have a stunning effect, such that you never suspect what's going to happen by the end.

MIAMI HERALD REVIEW OF "ABDUCTION"

2008-06-18T11:10:00.000-07:00

FROM THIS WEEK'S MIAMI HERALD...

TELEVISION REVIEW
'Evil' describes kidnappers of Japanese

Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story. 10-11:30 p.m. Thursday. WPBT-PBS 2.

Imposing moral judgments on nations is widely dismissed among the chattering classes as jingoist, simplistic and just plain dumb. Remember the contempt heaped on Ronald Reagan for calling the Soviet Union an ''evil empire?'' And when George W. Bush referred to North Korea as part of an ''axis of evil'' a few years ago, diplomats and academics grew downright faint. Evil is ''too heavy and radioactive a word,'' complained an official at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington in a typical criticism.

Let him make that argument to Sakie Yokota, whose 13-year-old daughter was kidnapped by North Korean spies while walking home from school in Niigata, Japan, 31 years ago and still hasn't returned. Says Yokota, whose ability to discern right from wrong is unencumbered by the sophisticated sensibilities of diplomacy: ``North Korea is an evil place.''

UNKNOWN NUMBER?

It is almost inconceivable that anyone who watches Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story, a documentary airing Thursday as part of the PBS series Independent Lens, will disagree. Megumi is one of 13 ordinary citizens known to have been kidnapped by the North Korean security service to help teach the country's spies how to pass for Japanese. And the key word is known. As Abduction reports, the real number may be in the hundreds -- and that doesn't include the possibility that North Korean agents may have abducted dozens of other Asians they might be able to convincingly imitate.

The consequences have been terrible not only for the victims (of the 13 Japanese North Korea has admitted to kidnapping, eight have never been seen again), but for countless others who have died in North Korean terrorist attacks. A North Korean spy pretending to be Japanese smuggled a bomb on a South Korean airliner that killed 115 people in 1987; after her capture, she confessed she learned Japanese language and customs from a kidnap victim held in a Pyongyan compound.

Filmmakers Chris Sheridan and Patty Kim worked six years on Abduction, and their time was well spent. They've accumulated a wealth of footage -- both archival and their own -- that allows them to tell the story virtually without narration. It also hammers home just how long the Yokotas' search for Megumi has dragged on. In televised pleas for the return of her daughter in the first days after the kidnapping, Mrs. Yokota's hair is dark, her skin smooth. In interviews filmed last year, she's gray and wrinkled, the toll of not only time but of heartbreak.

Some of the latter has come at the hands of Japan's own government, which has always seemed more interested in diplomatic rapprochement with North Korea than the fate of its kidnapped citizens. Megumi's disappearance was first assumed to have been the work of a common criminal, if a psychopath who preys on children can be reasonably termed common. But within two years, some Japanese journalists and security officials had tentatively linked a string of unsolved abductions to North Korea.

BOMBER CONFESSION

It was the capture of the terrorist airline-bomber in 1987 and her subsequent confession that confirmed the North Koreans were snatching Japanese and forcing them to work in spy schools. But it took the Japanese government another 10 years to admit all it knew, and another five after that to demand an accounting from Pyongyang. Government indifference for their dilemma eventually reduced the Yokotas and families of other hostages to standing outside the offices of the ruling LDP party and screaming obscenities through bullhorns.

Abduction's scenes of the families are simply crushing. One mother lapses into a torpor of grief, unable to speak except to mumble ''My son, my son.'' Mrs. Yokota converts to Christianity and finds solace in the Biblical tribulations of Job: ''The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away.'' But her husband Shigeru is scornful. ''If there's a God,'' he argues bitterly, ''then he'd give Megumi back to us.'' He, too, sounds like a man who understands the definition of evil.

MEGUMI SEEN ALIVE -- Mainichi Newspaper

2008-06-10T12:47:00.000-07:00

Megumi Yokota seen alive 2 months after N. Korea said she had died

Megumi Yokota, a Japanese national who was abducted by North Korea, was seen in June 1994, two months after the time the reclusive country maintains that she died, it has been learned.

Fukie Chimura, 52, who was also abducted by North Korea, told Japanese authorities at the end of last year that Yokota "moved in next door to us in June 1994."

Pyongyang has maintained that Yokota "died in April 1994" and that the abduction issue has already been settled, but the latest testimony contradicts the North's assertion.

According to Chimura, Yokota moved in by herself next door to the home of Chimura and her 52-year-old husband, Yasushi, in June 1994. Chimura said Yokota lived there for several months, but that she doesn't know her whereabouts after that.

"She was suffering severe depression and was mentally unstable," Chimura said in describing the condition of Yokota at the time. "A high-ranking North Korean intelligence official was monitoring her," Chimura said.

Another former abductee, Kaoru Hasuike, 50, earlier testified that Yokota had been separated from her husband since around spring 1993 -- a year before the time when North Korea claims she died -- after they had a fall out. Hasuike also said he helped Yokota prepare to be admitted to a psychological hospital in March 1994.

Japanese law enforcers earlier found out that North Korea's intelligence department carried out the abduction of Japanese nationals.

The North said during the Tokyo-Pyongyang summit in 2002 that Yokota "committed suicide in March 1993." However, after the Mainichi reported in August 2004 that Hasuike told the Japanese Foreign Ministry that he "had had seen Yokota up until 1994," Pyongyang overturned its earlier assertion and said Yokota "committed suicide in April 2004," adding that the memory of an official in charge was vague.

Yokota's husband, Kim Young Nam, 46, who is a South Korean national abducted by the North, had earlier said during a press conference in North Korea: "Megumi suffered depression and committed suicide at a hospital in April 1994" -- repeating what Pyongyang had claimed.

Megumi's father, Shigeru, 75, said after hearing about Chimura's latest testimony, "I haven't heard the story directly from the Japanese government, so I would like confirm it."

Megumi's 72-year-old mother, Sakie, said, "We have strived hard believing that every abducted family member is alive. I want to rescue my daughter as soon as possible."

A series of discrepancies have surfaced regarding North Korea's explanation on what happened to Megumi Yokota. In November 2004, the North provided Japan with "the remains" of Yokota, but they turned out to be someone else's after Japanese authorities conducted DNA tests on the sample.

Because there are also discrepancies between North's assertions and Japan's findings regarding the other abductees, the Japanese government lodged a protest with the North, saying that their response lacks in sincerity. Since July 2006, the Japanese government has imposed economic sanctions on the North while Pyongyang has stuck to its stance that the abduction issue has been settled and further went on to launch test missiles into the Sea of Japan.

NEW YORK TIMES URGES READERS TO WATCH "ABDUCTION"

2008-06-09T06:05:00.000-07:00

The New York Times put "ABDUCTION" on its summer TV "must-see" list. The film airs on PBS on Thursday, June 19th at 10pm (check local listings for times in your area). Check it out here:

www.nytimes.com/2008/06/08/arts/artsspecial/08hale.html?_r=2&ref=arts&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

Check out the PBS website for the film at
www.pbs.org/independentlens/abduction/

WATCH PBS THIS MONTH!!

2008-06-06T09:14:00.001-07:00

CATCH "ABDUCTION" ON THE PBS AWARD-WINNING SERIES INDEPENDENT LENS!!

"ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story" will premiere on PBS starting on Thursday, June 19th. Since the PBS stations are independent and run on their own schedules, the film will be shown at different times and dates depending on where you live. Here are some of the cities and times you can catch "ABDUCTION" (for all other cities, check your local listings)...

New York/WNET Saturday, June 21st -- 12:30am
Los Angeles/KCET Saturday, June 21st -- 10pm
Philadelphia/WHYY Thursday, June 19th -- 10pm
San Francisco/KQED Thursday, June 19th -- 11pm
Boston/WGBH Sunday, July 6 -- 10:30pm
Detroit Public Television Saturday, June 21 -- 12:30am
Phoenix/KAET Thursday, June 19th, 10pm and Sunday, June 22, 7pm
Tampa Bay/WEDU Thursday, June 19th -- 11pm
Minneapolis-St. Paul/Pioneer Public Television, Thursday, June 19th -- 9pm
Miami/WPBT Thursday, June 19th, 10pm
Orlando/WMFE Monday, June 30th -- 11pm
Indianapolis/WTIU Thursday, June 19th -- 10pm
San Diego/KPBS Sunday, June 22 -- 10:30pm
Nashville/WCTE Thursday, June 19th -- 9pm
Cincinnati/CET Thursday, June 19th -- 10pm
Salt Lake City/KUED Thursday, June 19th -- 11pm
San Antonio/KLRN Wednesday, June 25th -- 9pm
Birmingham, AL/WBIQ Friday, June 20th -- 12am
Las Vegas/KLVX Sunday, June 22nd -- 10:30pm
Albuquerque-Sante Fe/KNME Saturday, June 21st -- 10pm
Louisville, KY/WKMJ Thursday, June 19th -- 10pm
Jacksonville, FL/WJCT Thursday, June 19th -- 10pm
Buffalo/WNED Sunday, June 29th -- 10:30pm
Fresno/KVPT Thursday, June 19th -- 10pm
Mobile/WEIQ Sunday, June 22nd -- 10:30pm
Flint/WDCP Sunday, June 22nd -- 11pm
Roanoke-Lynchburg, VA/WBRA Thursday, June 19th -- 10pm
Tucson/KUAT Thursday, June 19th --10pm
Wichita/KPTS Saturday, June 21st -- 9pm
Green Bay/WPNE Friday, June 20th -- 9:30pm
Des Moines/KDIN-KTIN Sunday, June 22nd -- 10:30pm
Omaha/KBIN-KHIN Sunday, June 22nd -- 10:30pm

And the list goes on and on...CHECK YOUR TV GUIDE OR YOUR LOCAL PAPER FOR THE TIMES IN YOUR AREA

Check out the PBS website for the film at:

www.pbs.org/independentlens/abduction/

2008-03-26T07:16:00.000-07:00

(Photo above) South Korean fisherman who were abducted by North Korea in the 1970s. This photo was taken by North Korea.

Hi everyone...check out the article below. It is very, very, very encouraging. For the first time in a long time, ever since the families started their campaign to bring the Japanese abductees home, they now have a friend in the South Korean President. Let's hope this opens the dialogue up a little...

South Korea to press North on POWs

March 26, 2008 - 3:11PM

South Korea's new conservative government wants North Korea to answer questions about the fate of its prisoners of war and abducted civilians, officials say.

South Korea's recent liberal administrations had largely skirted the issue of more than 1,000 civilian abductees and POWs captured during the 1950-1953 Korean War for fear it would jeopardise warming ties with the prickly neighbour.

"North Korea must recognise that the relationship of cooperation between the South and the North is about getting help and giving help," President Lee Myung-bak said ahead of a report from the Unification Ministry on its policy agenda.

"I believe we will hold serious dialogue on the prisoners of war and abductees as a humanitarian issue, as well as the separated families," Lee said.

Vice Unification Minister Hong Yang-ho said it was the government's top priority to press the North on the issue of prisoners of war and missing civilians.

"We will be bringing it up with priority at every channel of communication with the North," Hong told reporters.

Under the two liberal presidents who ruled for 10 years prior to conservative Lee, the two Koreas mostly avoided direct discussions on returning POWs and abductees.

In official talks, the two had used the euphemism "people who went missing during and after the war" to describe the group.

North Korea has insisted that it is not holding any South Koreans against their will, but has allowed 25 prisoners of war and civilian abductees to meet their relatives from the South as part of regular reunions of families separated during the war.

United States TV Premiere!

2008-01-15T13:37:00.000-08:00

For Immediate Release
1-15-08

ABDUCTION GETS U.S. TELEVISION PREMIERE
Will air on award-winning PBS series Independent Lens

Washington, D.C. – An award-winning film about a 13-year-old Japanese girl kidnapped by North Korean spies will get its biggest American audience in the summer when it airs on national TV. “ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story” will have its U.S. television premiere on the Emmy-Award winning PBS series Independent Lens, on Thursday, June 19th at 10:00 P.M. ET (check local listings).

Safari Media, the production company behind the film and the Independent Television Service (ITVS), the leading source of independently produced programs on U.S. public television that producers and co-curates Independent Lens, reached a deal last June to air the program but made the official announcement today.

“ABDUCTION” tells the story of Megumi Yokota, who went missing while walking home from school in 1977. The film follows her parents’ 30-year struggle to bring her home. Hailed as an “Extraordinary…work of narrative mastery” by the Los Angeles Times and “Engrossing” by the New York Times, the film has won six festival awards and been shown in 22 countries, including Japan where its theatrical release lasted over 25 weeks.

“We’re really pleased that the film will air on the PBS series Independent Lens,” said Chris Sheridan, who co-directed “ABDUCTION” along with his wife, Patty Kim. “The families in the film really want Americans to listen to their story and this will be the best way for them to tell it to a wide audience.” Independent Lens reaches close to one million viewers each week.

About Independent Lens
Airing Tuesday nights at 10:00 PM on PBS, Independent Lens is a film festival in your living room. Hosted each week by independent film actor, Terrence Howard, the acclaimed, Emmy-Award winning anthology series features documentaries and a limited number of fiction films united by the creative freedom, artistic achievement and unflinching visions of independent producers. Independent Lens is jointly curated by ITVS and PBS and is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a private corporation funded by the American people, with additional funding provided by PBS and the National Endowment for the Arts.
For more on Independent Lens, visit www.pbs.org/independentlens/about.html
For more on the film, visit www.abductionfilm.com

“ABDUCTION” is produced in association with the BBC. The Executive Producer of “ABDUCTION” is Jane Campion, the Oscar-winning director of “The Piano”.

Independent Lens contact:
Voleine Amilcar, voleine_amilcar@itvs.org, and 415-356-8383 x 244
Safari Media contact: Yuko Lanham, 1-703-350-3616

WASHINGTON POST ARTICLE

2007-12-18T13:45:00.000-08:00

30 Years After Abductions, Questions Haunt Japanese
Issue Casts Shadow Over Ties With N. Korea, U.S.
By Akiko Yamamoto and Blaine Harden
Washington Post Foreign Service
Sunday, December 16, 2007; Page A32

NIIGATA, Japan -- Megumi Yokota was walking home from badminton practice here in Niigata, on the northern coast of Japan, when North Korean agents grabbed the 13-year-old and packed her off to a waiting ship.

That was 30 years ago. North Korea says she is long dead, a suicide. But her parents -- and millions of Japanese -- refuse to believe it. They regard Yokota as very much alive, a woman now in midlife, deprived of her freedom in a closed communist state.

"What is she being forced to do?" asked her mother, Sakie Yokota, 71. "Why can't she come back?"

For Japan, the political potency of these anguished questions is almost impossible to overstate. The unresolved questions about Yokota and seven other Japanese have become a national obsession, a public-opinion fault line that Japanese politicians dare not cross and a formidable roadblock for diplomacy in Northeast Asia.

With North Korea emerging from its Stalinist shell and acceding to U.S. demands to disable its nuclear facilities, Japan's enduring anger over the decades-old abductions is not only blocking improved ties with North Korea but also straining relations with Japan's most important ally, the United States.

"I vow to have in mind the abduction issue as the first priority in the normalization process with North Korea," Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda said in October after meeting families of the abductees.

Japanese officials express concern about the Bush administration's apparent willingness to remove North Korea from the U.S. list of states that sponsor terrorism -- without explicitly linking that removal to progress on the abduction issue.

Japanese officials have said removing North Korea from the list would gloss over that country's continuing terrorist activities and human rights abuses, while undermining Japan's efforts to bring the abductees home.

"The U.S.-Japan relationship is changing because of the abduction issue," said Toshimitsu Shigemura, professor of North Korea studies at Tokyo's Waseda University. "Japan is thinking the United States doesn't think the abductions are important and that we are losing our common values."

The number of Japanese who believe Japan and the United States are not on good terms has risen nine percentage points in the past year, to 20.4 percent, the highest in a decade, according to a government opinion poll released last week.

While the Bush administration has begun delivering fuel to North Korea, Japan says it will not take part in any economic or energy assistance unless it gets a detailed, credible explanation of what happened to its kidnapped citizens.

orea. They include a ban on all imports from the country and an order that keeps its ships out of Japanese ports. There is also a ban on the export of Japanese luxury goods to the North.

A court in Japan has cracked down on Chosen Soren, the de facto North Korean embassy in Japan, ordering it to pay $550 million on overdue debts it owes the Japanese government. The order is likely to force the organization to close.

There was no official news about Megumi Yokota for 25 years. But evidence mounted that she had been a victim in a series of kidnappings that North Korean agents appeared to be staging in Japanese coastal communities to obtain teachers to train spies in language and culture.

North Korean defectors provided snippets of information -- Megumi was locked in a dark chamber of the ship that took her away; she scratched on the walls throughout the voyage; she arrived in North Korea covered in blood, with her nails partially ripped from her fingers.

They said, too, that she tried many times to escape from North Korea but was caught and forced back.

Her family eventually left Niigata and settled in Kawasaki City, near Tokyo. But before moving, her parents left a note for their daughter on the door of their former house. It listed their new address and said they would be waiting for her.

A Case of Suicide?

In September 2002, North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Il, admitted publicly that his agents had abducted 13 Japanese in the 1970s and '80s, including Megumi Yokota.

Kim's government returned five of the abductees to Japan the following month. But Yokota and the seven others, the North Koreans said, had died.

Yokota had married a South Korean man who had come to the North, and they had had a daughter, the officials said. The North Koreans released photographs that they said showed Yokota, first as a terrified teenager shortly after her abduction, later as a poised young woman. But, the North Koreans said, she became mentally unstable and in 1993 killed herself.

Japan rejects the North's account. It says death documents were forged. Japanese DNA tests have shown that cremated bones sent from North Korea were not the remains of the missing abductees. "How can you trust a government that sends you phony bones?" asked a senior government official in Tokyo.

The Japanese media were allowed to interview the girl identified as Yokota's daughter, but the girl's grandparents in Japan have never seen her. "We are waiting every single day" to see Megumi and her daughter, Sakie Yokota said.

In Japan, the political impact of the abduction saga has not diminished with the passage of time. The Japanese government itself helps keep the issue alive.

This year the government's Headquarters for the Abduction Issue released a DVD titled "Abduction: An Unforgivable Crime."

The U.S. ambassador to Japan, J. Thomas Schieffer, sent a private cable this fall to President Bush, warning that U.S.-Japanese relations could be damaged if Washington offered incentives to Pyongyang before the North had accounted for the abductees to the satisfaction of the Japanese.

Until recently, the Bush administration seemed to consider progress on the issue a prerequisite for taking North Korea off the terror list.

Bush met last year at the White House with Sakie Yokota and her son, Takuya, and called the meeting "one of the most moving meetings since I've been the president."

After a White House meeting in November with Japan's prime minister, Bush said he understood "how important the issue is to the Japanese people, and we will not forget the Japanese abductees, nor their families."

But later that day, State Department spokesman Tom Casey said the delisting and the abductees "are not necessarily specifically linked."

The families continue to lobby in Washington. In November, Sakie Yokota and her husband, Shigeru, sent letters to more than 100 U.S. lawmakers, asking for help in keeping North Korea on the list.

But some relatives are losing hope in that fight. Teruaki Masumoto, whose sister, Rumiko, was kidnapped by the North in 1978, said his November trip to Washington was a bust.

"I took removing the designation as an already established course of action," he said.

TIME MAGAZINE ARTICLE

2007-12-18T13:40:00.000-08:00

(photo above) Megumi's parents at a protest in 2005

Japan's Problem With N. Korea Talks, TIME magazine, Dec. 17, 2007

The governments involved in the six-party negotiations with North Korea have one chief aim: to get the hermit state to abandon its nuclear weapons program. In recent months, those nations — including the U.S., Russia, China and South Korea — have made some significant strides, including agreements from Pyongyang to shut down its nuclear reactor at Yongbyon and to disclose its nuclear activities. But for Japan, the sixth party to the talks, these diplomatic successes are threatening another of its most tenaciously held foreign policy goals: discovering the fate of 17 Japanese civilians abducted by the North between 1977 and 1983.

In 2002, five Japanese citizens were returned to the country after being kidnapped and forced to instruct North Korean agents on Japanese culture and society; Pyongyang at the time said the rest were dead — a claim the victims' families dispute. Since then, the remaining abductees' fate has become a hot-button issue in Japan. "It's a heart-rendering story, and involves issues of sovereignty and human rights," notes Robert Dujarric, director of Temple University's Institute of Contemporary Japanese Studies. "The issue has taken on a life of its own." The government has called the kidnappings "acts of terrorism"; former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe set up a special task force on the issue last year. Families of the victims have become national celebrities, and make regular media appearances not only to campaign for their cause but also to speak out on politics and nuclear disarmament. Hatsuhisa Takashima, special assistant to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, says a recent poll shows that "88% of Japanese are interested in the abduction issue and want it resolved."
Last week, at an international symposium titled "North Korean Human Rights Abuses Awareness Week," cohosted by the cabinet secretariat and the Foreign Affairs and Justice Ministries, specialists from Japan, South Korea and the U.S. met to confer on the abductee issue in the context of broader human rights violations in North Korea. Their view was clear: "We will not have satisfaction on denuclearization, human rights or the abductees until the [North Korean] regime is gone," says panelist Michael Green, senior adviser and Japan chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies based in Washington, D.C.
Regime change, however, is looking unlikely. Relations between the U.S. and North Korea have thawed since Washington agreed to unfreeze some $25 million in North Korean funds after Pyongyang agreed to dismantle the Yongbyon reactor; the U.S. is also considering removing the North from its blacklist of state sponsors of terror, an offer that previous Japanese leaders have insisted should be left off the table until the abductees issue is resolved.
Japan is getting little help from its neighbors. While Lee Myung Bak, the conservative-leaning Seoul mayor widely tipped to win South Korea's Presidential elections on Dec. 19, is expected to take a harder line with the North generally, Japan's single-minded focus on the abductions makes South Korean observers squirm. Kim Hyun Ho, director of the Chosun Ilbo Research Institute for Korea, notes that while Seoul claims more than 480 abducted citizens of its own, it worries that such a "very political" issue could cloud ongoing nuclear negotiations. "South Korea doesn't want this to be an obstacle in the six-party talks," says Kim, "but it could become one." China, meanwhile, was supportive of Japan's position until relations between the two nations cooled drastically over former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's repeated visits to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, where Japan's war dead (including several class-A war criminals) are memorialized.
All this has many Japanese afraid that resolving the fate of their abductees will ultimately fall by the wayside in the face of larger rapprochement with the North. Dujarric says there is little that Japan can do at the moment as the "U.S. has caved in to North Korea" and argues that the six-party talks have become two-party talks — between Washington and Pyongyang. An opportunity could arise, however, if North Korea demands more aid as a condition for continuing with the negotiations. "For Japan to pay, something has to be paid [to them] for the abductees," he notes, "even if it is just a fig leaf." Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda broached the abductions issue with U.S. President George W. Bush during his visit in November, but Bush has made no promises regarding negotiations with the North. In the meantime, the general public continues to rally behind the abductees' families, who insist that Japan continue to hold the line. "I want to know why this happened, where she is and how I can help to bring her home," says Masaru Honma, whose younger sister, Megumi Yokota, was kidnapped in 1977 at age 13. "The fact that they sent us a stamped death certificate is proof to me that she is still alive."

Washington Times DVD review

2007-11-26T11:31:00.000-08:00

Hi all,

Christian Toto, who wrote a wonderful review of the film for the Washington Times, blogged a very kind recommendation of the DVD recently. Read it here:

www.whatwouldtotowatch.com/2007/11/abduction-worth-remembering.html

2007-11-15T08:58:00.000-08:00

NEW DVD TELLS STORY BEHIND NUCLEAR NEGOTIATIONS
ABDUCTION marks girl's kidnapping 30 years ago

November 14, 2007
For immediate release

Washington, DC -- On the eve marking 30 years since 13-year-old Megumi Yokota was kidnapped by North Korean spies, Safari Media is releasing new footage from their award-winning documentary about her disappearance. The official DVD of ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story is now available online at www.abductionfilm.com. The DVD includes:

* Deleted scenes from the original film
* Subtitles in 8 languages including: English, French, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and German
* A short documentary on the making of ABDUCTION
* A Q&A with the directors at their Washington, DC Premiere
* A rare interview with Executive Producer Jane Campion

Megumi Yokota was taken on November 15th, 1977 while walking home from school. ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story follows her parents' incredible journey to try to get her back. Winner of six festival awards and called "extraordinary" by the Los Angeles Times and "engrossing" by the New York Times, ABDUCTION will have you on the edge of your seat right up to the end of the film. The story of Megumi has captured the hearts and emotions of audiences all over the world and is now considered an important tool in Japan's efforts to get answers on the abductions of its citizens. Megumi's fate is also one of the key sticking points at talks aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear weapons program. Japan is hesitant to support any initiatives designed to denuclearize North Korea unless Pyongyang reveals information about the fate of Megumi and others abducted by North Korea.
The film's been shown in 20 countries and will make its US Television premiere next spring on PBS's award-winning series Independent Lens, which reaches a million people every week. "We are really excited to be sharing this story with an even bigger audience," said Chris Sheridan, who co-directed the film along with his wife Patty Kim. "The multiple languages, the extra material and the new insights into the lives of the people at the center of this film will give audiences a better understanding of what happened 30 years ago."
The Executive Producer of ABDUCTION is Jane Campion, the Oscar-winning director of The Piano. ABDUCTION is produced in association with the BBC and with the assistance of Fuji TV.

For interviews, contact Yuko Lanham at 703-350-3616
For info on the film, visit www.abductionfilm.com

WHAT A GREAT NIGHT!

2007-08-26T06:05:00.000-07:00

Hello all...been a little while since we blogged. The summer's been busy as we move on to our future projects, travel to cities to promote the film and get the DVD ready for a September release. But the highlight has to be last week's screening/concert with the legendary folk singer Noel "Paul" Stookey. As many of you know, Noel is the "Paul" in Peter, Paul and Mary. They sang some of this country's most recognizable songs like "Puff the Magic Dragon", "Blowin' in the Wind" and "If I Had a Hammer". In the 60s and 70s they inspired a whole generation of people to think about the world in a different way. They are among the greats like Pete Seeger, Phil Ochs, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez and many, many others to come out of that era. Noel still tours and continues to tout the beliefs and values that made his group's messages so strong and enduring. Anyway, we were invited by ANA, the Japanese airline, to attend a screening in NY which we enthusiastically accepted mainly because ANA helped us while we made the film. YAY ANA! I told Noel about it and he joined us in NY to sing his "Song for Megumi" which he wrote last year after hearing the story of Megumi and her family. He performed the song in Tokyo earlier this year for Megumi's parents as well as a select group of dignitaries including Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The screening last week was at the ImaginAsian Theater. The event was totally sold out with organizers turning people away at the door. Sorry to those of you who didn't get in but the DVD is coming soon! Noel sang his song beautifully despite rushing to get to the venue and nearly missing the entire affair due to flight delays. Afterwards, all three of us gave a Q&A which was a real bonus for us because we got to hear Noel talk about his inspiration for writing the song. Moreover, it was great to have someone on stage with us who supports the families and who doesn't have any particular political agenda when it comes to supporting them. Thanks Noel for a fantastic evening!

LEGENDARY FOLK SINGER GIVES RARE PERFORMANCE BEFORE FILM!!

2007-08-22T05:21:00.000-07:00

Legendary folk singer to perform Japanese
abduction song in New York City
Filmmakers will join him for the first time

For Immediate release
8/21/07

Washington, DC The issue of the abduction of Japanese citizens by North

Korea will get special attention Wednesday night as legendary folk
singer Noel Paul Stookey (the "Paul" in Peter, Paul and Mary) joins the

award-winning filmmakers behind "ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story" for

a special concert in New York City. Stookey will perform "Song for
Megumi" to open the documentary film which will screen at ImaginAsian
Theater for one night only.
Stookey wrote the song after hearing the story of Megumi, who was
kidnapped from Niigata, Japan nearly 30 years ago by North Korean
spies. She was just 13 years old at the time. Her story and the
remarkable struggle her parents have waged to bring her home is the
centerpiece for the groundbreaking and critically-acclaimed
documentary, "ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story." The film has won
numerous awards and been praised by the New York Times, Los Angeles
Times, Variety, TV Guide, the Chicago Tribune, New Yorker magazine, the

Independent and many others. It has been shown on TV all over the world

and will be on PBS's Independent Lens next May.
Stookey performed "Song for Megumi" earlier this year in a special
concert in Tokyo attended by Megumi's parents as well as Japanese
dignitaries including Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. This will be the first

time he's performed it in conjunction with the film.
"ABDUCTION" is produced in association with the BBC and with the
assistance of Fuji TV. The Executive Producer of the film is Jane
Campion, the Oscar-winning director of "The Piano".
The event is being sponsored by All Nippon Airways (ANA) and begins at
7pm. ImaginAsian Theater is located at 239 East 59th Street, New York.
Chris Sheridan and Patty Kim, the husband-wife team behind "ABDUCTION"
will be present for a question-and-answer session following the film.

THANK YOU POLAND!!

2007-05-27T08:06:00.000-07:00

(above) The building housing the "Kinoteka" was home to the festival. As you can see, it's a monstrous throwback to the Stalin era and, like Stalin himself, is the subject of much controversy in Poland.

Just returned from an awesome film festival in Warsaw, Poland called the Planete Doc Review Festival. It is a big festival full of some fantastic films. The festival invited Patty and I to come so we did and we're so glad to have gone there. It was our first time in Poland, the land of so much interesting history and culture...and home to some incredible filmmakers. We were greeted with full houses at our screenings and excellent questions. The Polish people related to the story of the families and the issue of political kidnappings since their own history involves such things particularly under Communism. Many people believe that their own country has not dealt with the disappearance of many of its citizens for various reasons during the Communist era and during WWII. We were very touched and moved by people's sensitivity to this issue and many of them took the time to write messages to the families of the people abducted. We made a trip to the Auschwitz death camp as well and were immediately struck by thoughts of all the horrible, nasty things going on in authoritarian regimes right now that we are doing nothing about. A very moving experience that forced us to think about our role as human beings with a conscience. Of course, as filmmakers, it made us think again about future projects...
Thanks, Poland, for making our trip a memorable one and for looking after us with such kindness!

DIRECTORS MEET JAPAN'S FIRST LADY IN DC

2007-05-04T04:37:00.000-07:00

Hi again...Mrs. Akie Abe, Japan's First Lady, met with us last week while she was in town with her husband, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during their first official visit to the United States. In a private meeting at the residence of the Japanese Ambassador to the US, Mrs. Abe told us how much she supported the film and the families in it. She has worked hard behind the scenes in an effort to raise awareness about the abductions of Japanese citizens by North Korea. Recently, she showed the film to the wives of several foreign ambassadors in Tokyo. She told us last week that they were very moved and they planned to go back to their husbands and tell them about the situation that Megumi's parents are in.

Japan PM-BUSH will discuss ABDUCTION film

2007-04-27T06:47:00.000-07:00

Prime Minister Abe to discuss ABDUCTION film with President Bush

For Immediate Release
4/26/07

Washington, DC Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is expected to discuss the film “ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story” with President Bush as a way of talking about the abduction of Japanese citizens by North Korea, according to official sources. Mr. Abe is making his first visit to Washington, DC as Prime Minister today and tomorrow.
An official with the Japanese Foreign Ministry, who declined to be named, confirmed to Safari Media, the production company that made “ABDUCTION”, that Mr. Abe plans to discuss the film with the President. Mr. Bush was given a copy of the film in January and recently wrote in a letter to an official that gave it to him that “Laura and I look forward to watching it.” There has been no official confirmation from the White House whether or not he has watched the documentary. Ambassador Thomas Schieffer, the US Ambassador in Tokyo, a close friend of the President, saw the film during a private screening last summer.
“ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story” is a 85-minute documentary that details the kidnapping of a 13-year-old Japanese girl by North Korean agents. The film’s won numerous awards and been shown in at least 10 different countries including the United States. The film’s directors, Chris Sheridan and Patty Kim, will meet with Prime Minister Abe and his wife, Mrs. Akie Abe, on Friday afternoon in a private session at the residence of Japanese Ambassador Ryozo Kato.

For more info, contact safarimedia@yahoo.com
For a copy of the President’s letter, visit the film’s blog at www.abductionfilm.com

"ABDUCTION" BOX OFFICE NEARS 120,000!

2007-04-15T22:03:00.000-07:00

The latest figures are in from Japan and "ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story" has now attracted nearly 120,000 people! A smash success, by any standards! The film's lasted 22 weeks in theaters and still going!

MEGUMI'S DAD TOO TIRED TO HEAD GROUP

2007-04-10T08:16:00.000-07:00

Hi again...we often get asked at Q&As how Megumi's parents are doing now. We have said many times that they're still campaigning even though their health continues to decline. Here is more proof that they need a rest. Megumi's Dad is stepping down as head of the families' group. It doesn't mean he's not going to participate anymore but it does indicate that the job is a tough one.

FROM MAINICHI NEWSPAPER:

Shigeru Yokota, father of well-known abductee Megumi, has decided to resign as head of a group of families whose relatives were abducted by North Korean agents.
Yokota, 74, is set to announce his decision at the group's general meeting in late April.
"My physical condition is not good. I think it's too hard for me to stay as head of the group, which has to handle many things," said Yokota. "I don't think it's good for me to continually stay as head of the group."
Yokota's 71-year-old wife, Sakie, said now is the time for him to resign.
Yokota has long been energetically asking the public to help solve the abduction issue.
He will continue to remain as a member of the group. (Mainichi)

POSSIBLE ROMANIAN ABDUCTEE!

2007-04-09T18:40:00.000-07:00

One of the people in our film, Mr. Teruaki Masumoto, was in Romania last week meeting with the family of a woman who is believed to have been kidnapped by North Korea in 1978. This is a new development since the Romanians are now starting to take an interest in the possibility that their citizens were kidnapped as well. For those of you who speak Japanese, check out this news report on his visit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LONu9cIc54&mode=related&search=

For all others, here's a Kyodo News item on the visit:

Relative of Japan abductee meets kin of suspected Romanian abductee

(Kyodo) _ A relative of a Japanese national abducted by North Korean agents met in Romania on Thursday family members of a Romanian woman suspected of being another victim of North Korean abductions.
Teruaki Masumoto, secretary general of a group of relatives of Japanese abductees, and a supporter of the group met the mother and younger brother of Doina Bumbea, who went missing in Rome in 1978.

At the meeting in Craiova in southern Romania, Masumoto said, "Let's fight together to return all the victims," while Bumbea's brother Gabriel responded, "I would like to use all my might to get a resolution."

Tsutomu Nishioka, deputy representative of a group supporting the abductees' relatives, invited the Romanian family to join a gathering in Japan to be held later in the month aimed at rescuing the abductees. Gabriel said he would like to go.

Repatriated Japanese abductee Hitomi Soga, 47, and her American husband Charles Jenkins, 67, have said that they met a woman who called herself "Doina" when they were in Pyongyang and that she died from a disease in 1997.

A Romanian newspaper said last month she was abducted to North Korea, based on statements by her brother and others.

Bumbea's mother Petra, 77, wiped her tears when she heard from Nishioka that Soga told him that the woman called Doina was good at cooking and sewing.

Masumoto, whose elder sister Rumiko was abducted by North Korea in 1978, is also planning to call for a resolution of the abduction issue at the Romanian Foreign Ministry in Bucharest on Friday.

Rumiko was among the 13 Japanese North Korea admitted in 2002 to abducting in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She is also among the eight claimed by North Korea to have already died -- a claim rejected by their families and the Japanese government.

Soga was among the other five repatriated in 2002. In North Korea, she married Jenkins, who deserted from the U.S. military and crossed the border from South to North Korea during the Cold War.

LETTER FROM PRESIDENT BUSH

2007-03-28T08:08:00.000-07:00

President Bush's staff received a copy recently of the film from an executive at the National Geographic Society. Hopefully, the President will get to see it at some point. Here's the letter he wrote in response to Greg Platts:

Dear Greg,

The copy of ABDUCTION made it to the Oval Office. Laura and I look forward to watching it. My meeting with Sakie Yokota remains one of the most moving experiences of my Presidency, and I appreciate your efforts to highlight this important story.

Thank you for thinking of me and for your continued friendship and support. Best wishes to you and Liz for a happy and healthy 2007.

Sincerely,

George W. Bush

ISRAEL/BBC AIRING

2007-03-25T07:16:00.000-07:00

Cinematheque - Tel Aviv, Israel

Hi all,

Back from Israel last week where we showed the film for the first time there. We were lucky enough to be invited by the good folks at Docaviv, Israel's most important documentary film festival. Saw some fantastic documentaries, met some wonderful filmmakers from all over and enjoyed being in the complex and interesting world of Israel. Attended a reception at the Japanese Embassy in Tel Aviv where we were told that the Israelis are starting to get on the sushi bandwagon. Apparently, it's becoming more and more popular. We were lucky enough to be treated to some real Japanese-style sushi thanks to Ambassador Yoshinori Katori and his staff. We showed the film twice while were at Docaviv and were interested to hear how sensitive the issue of political kidnappings are to many people in Israel. Many compared "ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story" to the kidnappings of Israeli soldiers in Lebanon and elsewhere...one of the reasons for last summer's conflict. The film will get its Israeli TV debut on April 8 and 13th at 10pm on the YES satellite network.
Of course, the film finally aired on the BBC for the first time last week. Great press beforehand, including a "pick of the week" in THE GUARDIAN newspaper's TV guide. THE INDEPENDENT and THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH both had excellent articles even if they did give away the entire story! Oh well...
Following the airing on the BBC we got some great comments from people which I've posted below. It appears Megumi's family has touched people in the United Kingdom the same way it has everywhere else.

Comments from BBC viewers...

"Abduction" really blew me away, what a story, heart breaking. Watched it last night and I was amazed that this really exists. The parents of Megumi are unbelievable, well done to you both, your work rate and persistent badgering of the authorities is commendable. I believe Megumi is alive and has a family in Nth Korea, the family connection is why the Nth Korean Govmnt won't release her. Sad but uplifting at the same time, fantastic documentary, lets hope Megumi makes it back, soon."

---------------------------------------------------------

Dear Chris & Patty,

I would firstly like to congratulate you both on the making of the film Abduction - it's a pure materpiece!

I watched the film Abduction on BBC4 last night at home,I just came across it by chance while I was changing channels. I felt compelled to Google Megumi as soon I got to my desk in work this morning as I have never in my life watched such a heart wrenching film.

My name is Ashling and I am from Dublin Ireland . My mother's twin sister went missing while on a working holiday in Africa 24yrs ago this year, she was my age 33yrs old. To this day her body and her boyfriend’s body have never been found. So watching this film was very close to my family’s heart.

Megumi parents are such amazing strong people and I admire them so much for the way they will never give up the hope of finding her some day.

I said a prayer for them last night and will continue to keep them in my prayers.

Many thanks & best regards,

Ashling

xxxx

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I just caught the last twenty minutes of your film Abduction. I wish I
had seen all of it. A wonderful job on a heartrending story. I loved the
track of music at the very end. Please will you tell me what it is? Thank
you.
Sue

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I watched this poignant but brilliant documentary on
BBC4 last night.

Ratiel

----------------------------------------------

That was pretty awesome.

adam

----------------------------------------------------------

As an English Social Democrat, I see it only natural for me to support the tiny Social Democratic Party of Japan, but after reading that they support Kim Jong-il implicitly and STILL DENY the fact that the North Koreans snatched these poor kids off the street in the first place, I will be kinda leaning to Minshuto (the moderate Democratic Party of Japan) in the future when it comes to international political solidarity. A great documentary.

--------------------------------------------------------------

"Abduction" really blew me away, what a story, heart breaking. Watched it last night and I was amazed that this really exists. The parents of Megumi are unbelievable, well done to you both, your work rate and persistent badgering of the authorities is commendable. I believe Megumi is alive and has a family in Nth Korea, the family connection is why the Nth Korean Govmnt won't release her. Sad but uplifting at the same time, fantastic documentary, lets hope Megumi makes it back, soon.

"ABDUCTION" TO AIR ON BBC THIS MONTH!

2007-03-14T10:19:00.000-07:00

“ABDUCTION” TO PREMIERE ON THE BBC

Washington, DC – An award-winning film about a Japanese girl kidnapped by North Korean spies will receive its television premiere on the BBC later this month.

"ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story" is scheduled to air as part of the highly acclaimed “Storyville” on BBC FOUR on March 22nd at 10:30pm.

“We’re very pleased and excited to finally be able to show this film to people in the UK,” said Chris Sheridan, who directed the film along with his wife, Patty Kim. “The BBC is known for its high standards, so premiering the film on it will give the issue of the abductions an enormous amount of credibility.”

Nick Fraser, Series Editor of the Storyville strand said: "Megumi’s story is not only very moving, but a telling example of how people suffer when the interests of nations collide. Chris and Patty have successfully managed to make a film that’s both emotionally powerful, and profoundly important."

The film follows the family of Megumi Yokota, a 13-year-old Japanese girl kidnapped by North Korean spies in 1977. The documentary shows how her family’s personal anguish turned into an international crisis. In 2002, the North Koreans admitted to kidnapping Megumi and 12 other Japanese citizens. Their fate is the subject of controversy in Asia affecting even the latest rounds of nuclear talks with North Korea.

Abduction opened in January, 2006 at the Slamdance Film Festival in Utah and was awarded the Audience Award for Best Documentary. It has since gone on to win five other awards as well as critical praise from the New York Times, Variety, the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, the Sydney Morning Herald, CNN and many others. It has also been shown around the world at festivals and on TV including in Australia, Belgium, Canada, New Zealand, France, Germany and Holland. The film is currently playing in theaters in Japan.

The film’s Executive Producer is the Oscar-winning director Jane Campion. ABDUCTION is also produced with the assistance of Fuji TV.

For further press information please contact BBC Publicist Marina Forsythe on 0208 752 7229 or visit www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/documentaries/storyville/

For film info, visit www.abductionfilm.com

UN High Commissioner's Comments on Film

2007-03-13T16:49:00.000-07:00

"VERY FEW OTHER STORIES HAVE BEEN SO INSTRUMENTAL IN ADVANCING THE CAUSE OF ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES AS THIS FILM." - Louise Arbour, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

For those of you who speak Japanese, you can read about Ms Louise Arbour's comments about the film in Geneva, Switzerland this past weekend.

http://news.goo.ne.jp/article/kyodo/world/CO2007031201000205.html?C=S

Check out this Japanese TV report on the Geneva screening...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxlWhXMujzM&mode=related&search=

UN High Commissioner to Attend Geneva Opening!

2007-03-10T07:09:00.000-08:00

Louise Arbour, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, will attend the opening of "ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story" in Geneva, Switzerland. The film will screen as part of the International Film Festival on Human Rights held annually by the United Nations. The festival has listed Ms. Arbour as one of the guests of honor for the opening on its website. Teruaki Masumoto, whose sister was kidnapped by North Korea in 1978, will also attend the film's opening in Geneva. The film opens Sunday, March 11th at the Maison des Arts du Grutli at 4pm.

For festival info, visit www.fifdh.ch or call (in Geneva) 041-22-800-1554

"ABDUCTION" OPENS AT UNITED NATIONS FESTIVAL IN GENEVA

2007-03-06T19:22:00.000-08:00

“ABDUCTION” Opens at UN-sponsored event in Geneva
Abduction issue will get international audience

For Immediate Release
3/6/07

Washington, DC An award-winning documentary about a 13-year-old Japanese girl kidnapped by North Korean spies will be shown this weekend at a United Nations-sponsored film festival in Geneva, Switzerland. ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story will open at the International Film Festival on Human Rights on March 11.
The festival, now in its fifth year, coincides with the United Nations’ Human Rights Council’s main session which convenes on March 12th.
“We’re very pleased that the United Nations considers the abduction issue important enough to include in their festival,” said Chris Sheridan, who, along with his wife Patty Kim, directed the 85-minute documentary. “This will send a strong message to the international community that this issue needs to be addressed properly.”
ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story tells the tale of Megumi Yokota who was taken by North Korean spies when she was 13. The film shows her family’s emotional journey to try to get her back. The film’s won six awards and received critical praise from the New York Times, Variety, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, CNN and many other media. It has been shown in Canada, Australia, Belgium, New Zealand, Holland, France and is currently open in theatres across Japan. In January, the film premiered at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Henry Kissinger, former National Security advisor to US President Richard Nixon, attended the event.
ABDUCTION is produced in association with the BBC and with the assistance of Fuji TV. The Executive Producer of the film is Jane Campion, the Oscar-winning director of “The Piano”.

For festival info, visit www.fifdh.ch or call (in Geneva) 041-22-800-1554
For film info, visit www.abductionfilm.com

LEGENDARY FOLK SINGER RELEASES MEGUMI SONG!

2007-02-21T07:26:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone...Been working on many things...among them, getting ready for a slew of upcoming screenings in Europe and the US. The film has been traveling Europe thanks to the Japanese Embassies in Britain, Belgium, France, Switzerland and soon it will be shown in Romania and Bulgaria. As I blogged earlier, the film was shown at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switerland this year. The Japanese government now sees this film as a way of communicating this issue to people in other countries. The other good news is that the film will finally make it's BBC debut next month. As many of you know, our friends at the BBC helped us finish the film and now they are putting a ton of energy into promoting it on their popular documentary program called "Storyville". It is scheduled to air on March 22nd. More to come on that soon. For now, I have some very cool news to report. Noel Paul Stookey, or "Paul" as he is known to most people, has written a song for Megumi and her family. Noel Stookey is the "Paul" in the legendary folk group "Peter, Paul and Mary" ("Puff the Magic Dragon", "Where Have All the Flowers Gone and "Blowin' in the Wind"). He heard the story of Megumi, saw the film and decided to write a song about her. The song's going to be released in Japan (see the articles below). Noel called me last December to tell me what he was up to and we were absolutely thrilled to hear that another artist was contributing to the effort to raise awareness about what happened to Megumi Yokota in November, 1977. We've been in touch ever since. I can tell you that his motives were the same as ours when we started. He heard a story that he felt others had to hear as well.

Go to this link to see Noel's performance of the song on Japanese TV for Megumi's parents:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75Q-F4_He_c&mode=related&search=

Check out the articles below on the song's release in Japan.

ASSOCIATED PRESS AND REUTERS ARTICLES ON SONG:

U.S. folk singer pleads for abducted Japanese girl
By Elaine Lies Mon Feb 19, 4:14 AM ET

TOKYO (Reuters) - Moved by the story of Megumi Yokota, a Japanese schoolgirl kidnapped by North Korean secret agents three decades ago, folk singer Noel Paul Stookey has penned a song he hopes will help bring her home.

The saga of Japanese kidnapped by Pyongyang's agents in the 1970s and 1980s to help train spies is a highly emotive topic in Japan but has been little known overseas until recently.

In six-party talks on halting North Korea's nuclear program that ended last week, Japan said it would not provide aid to Pyongyang in return for nuclear disarmament unless there was progress on the issue of the abductees.

North Korea says Megumi, kidnapped on her way home from school in 1977 at the age of 13, hanged herself in 1994.

But her parents believe she is alive and Tokyo wants better proof of her fate.

"When I read what had been done to this young girl and the emotional result to her family, I decided to do what folk music has always done -- put a face on the pain," Stookey, a member of folk group Peter, Paul and Mary, said at a news conference in Tokyo ahead of Wednesday's release of "Song for Megumi."

"I am also holding out hope that somewhere in an automobile in North Korea, (its leader) Kim Jong-il is listening to the radio and thinks of his own family," said Stookey, 69.

The plaintive song, performed by Stookey at the news conference, asks where Megumi is and has the chorus:

"Return, Megumi, to me/Across the waves of the sea."

On Wednesday, Stookey and Megumi's parents will meet Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who rose to power partly due to his tough stance on North Korea, especially over the abductees.

North Korea admitted in 2002 that its agents had abducted 13 Japanese, sparking outrage in Japan.

Five were repatriated in 2002, with their families joining them later, but Pyongyang says the other eight are dead.

Awareness of the abductees overseas has grown after last year's release of a documentary film about Megumi and her parents.

As Stookey sang, Megumi's mother Sakie, 71, wiped her eyes.

"We believe and hope that if many people around the world hear and sing this song, it will help solve the abduction issue," said her father, Shigeru, 74.

Proceeds from the song, as well as several concerts Stookey plans in Japan this May, will go to Megumi's parents for their activities on behalf of Megumi and other Japanese abductees.

Stookey, whose eldest daughter is the same age as Megumi, said his feelings as a father brought him closer to the Yokotas.

"It is very difficult to imagine such a horrible thing happening to someone so close to you," he said.

Feb. 20, 2007, 2:27PM
Noel Paul Stookey sings in Japan about abducted girl

By KOZO MIZOGUCHI
Associated Press

TOKYO — Noel Paul Stookey of Peter, Paul & Mary has written a protest song about a Japanese schoolgirl abducted by North Korean agents in 1977.

Stookey, 69, sang Song for Megumi — the title track of his new album — at a performance Tuesday attended by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Megumi Yokota's parents, Shigeru and Sakie Yokota.

Some of the lyrics are in Japanese. "Anata wa doko? (Where are you?)," Stookey sang at the performance, televised by public broadcaster NHK.

North Korea shocked Japan in 2002 by admitting it had abducted 13 Japanese citizens in the 1970s and '80s to train spies. The communist regime allowed five to return home later that year, saying the others, including Megumi, were dead.

But Japan has demanded proof, saying more of its citizens may have been taken by Pyongyang. Tokyo has also refused to give energy aid to the impoverished regime until the issue is cleared up.

"I hope that maybe the world community, as they learn of this issue, will put pressure on governments not to abuse human rights — that they must accomplish their goals in other ways," Stookey told the Associated Press.

Stookey said he plans to donate profits from his four-track album to efforts to resolve the abduction issue.

Peter, Paul & Mary, which also includes Peter Yarrow and Mary Travers, recorded covers of a number of protest songs in the 1960s, including Blowin' in the Wind and Where Have All the Flowers Gone, but are perhaps best known for Puff the Magic Dragon.

THANK YOU CHICAGO!!

2007-01-30T12:56:00.000-08:00

What a great weekend in Chicago! The chilly weather couldn't keep hundreds of people from showing up to see the film on its opening weekend. Chicago residents were deeply interested in the story and asked a lot of great questions during our Q&As on opening weekend. The Gene Siskel Film Center is a great venue and the staff were excellent to work with. Thanks Chicago for making our trip there a memorable one! Next stop, Portland, Oregon. The film will open there this weekend.

Portland Oregon Premiere!
Hollywood Theatre
Feb. 3, 4, 10, 11
Hollywood Theatre
4122 N.E. Sandy Blvd.
Info: (503) 493-1128
www.hollywoodtheatre.org

ABDUCTION FILM AT WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM!

2007-01-27T14:00:00.000-08:00

Hi again,

Wanted to point this out from the World Economic Forum in Switzerland. This story ran on the Bloomberg wires. The reporter got the title of our film wrong calling it "Megumi" which is the title in Japan but not in the rest of the world where it's called "ABDUCTION".

Japan Brings Abductions Film to Davos; Threatens More Sanctions
By Yoolim Lee

Jan. 26 (Bloomberg) -- Japan's government brought a film to Davos to raise awareness among 2,500 political and business leaders about the abductions of Japanese nationals by North Korea and threatened more sanctions against the communist nation.

Yuriko Koike, special national security adviser to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, invited attendees and journalists at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum to a sushi reception to urge them to see ``Megumi,'' a documentary about 13- year-old Megumi Yokota, who was kidnapped in 1977 to train North Korean leader Kim Jong Il's Japanese-speaking spies.

This isn't the first time Japan is trying to bring international awareness to the abductions, which occurred in the 1970s and 1980s. North Korea has admitted to kidnapping 13 Japanese and allowed five to return in 2002. Japan says 17 citizens were kidnapped and has imposed sanctions on the country for the kidnappings and for its nuclear test in October last year.

``The Japanese government's position is to apply pressure and hold dialogue,'' Koike said. ``If existing sanctions don't work, we have to think about imposing heavier sanctions.''

Tensions over the kidnappings were exacerbated by North Korea's missile tests in July last year and its announcement on Oct. 9 it carried out its first atomic bomb test. Japan has imposed sanctions beyond those imposed on Oct. 14 by the United Nations for the nuclear test.

Revising Policy

The nuclear test prompted calls in Japan to revise the country's purely defensive security policies. Abe today in a speech in Parliament reiterated he wants to rewrite Japan's constitution, which outlaws the use of force.

Koike, 44, was a panelist for a discussion on ``China, Japan and Korea -- Managing a New Power Centre'' in Davos, where leaders are gathered this week to discuss issues ranging from energy security and climate change to the rising power of China and India.

``Japan has a special issue with North Korea, which is the abduction one,'' Koike told a press conference, following her panel session.

The attempt to raise awareness of the issue comes after stalled talks among China, Japan, North and South Korea, Russia and the U.S. on ending North Korea's nuclear program were resumed at the end of last year.

North Korea held talks in December with the U.S. on financial sanctions imposed because of allegations of money laundering and counterfeiting by North Korean companies. The financial sanctions are separate from the UN restrictions.

FROM CHILLY CHICAGO...

2007-01-27T13:44:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone...arrived in Chicago Thursday to open the film at the Gene Siskel Film Center. What a great theater! Got a wonderful review in the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Reader and also appeared on the NPR affiliate WBEZ. Hear the interview by going to this website:

www.wbez.org/worldview/

The weather's decent by Chicago standards. Usually, we'd be freezing our #$@ off but no such experience so far. A little chilly is about the most I can say. We'll be in Chicago all weekend so if you know anyone, tell them we'll be doing Q&As at the following location until Sunday, January 28th:

ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story
Gene Siskel Film Center
164 N. State Street
Chicago, IL
www.siskelfilmcenter.org
tel: (312) 846-2800

See you there!

"ABDUCTION" TO AIR ON CBC TELEVISION

2007-01-19T08:22:00.000-08:00

ABDUCTION AIRS ON CANADIAN TELEVISION
Abduction issue will get national audience

For Immediate Release
1/19/07

Washington, DC An award-winning film about a 13-year-old Japanese girl kidnapped by North Korean spies will get a national audience in Canada this weekend. “ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story” will air on Canada’s CBC television on Sunday, January 21st at 10pm Eastern Time (7pm Pacific). The film will be shown on CBC TV’s “The Passionate Eye”, a documentary program that is very popular among Canadian viewers.
“We’re from Canada so we’re very proud and excited to be showing this film in our native country,” said Chris Sheridan, who directed the film along with his wife, Patty Kim. “We know Canadians have good hearts and when they see this story, they, too, will be touched by the story of the Yokota family.” The filmmakers currently reside in Washington, DC where they run their own production company, Safari Media.
The CBC broadcast will be the first airing of the program to a nationally-televised audience. Other broadcasters like the BBC in the United Kingdom, BeTV in Belgium, Eesti Television in Estonia, ABC TV in Australia, Danish Broadcasting Corporation in Denmark, DBS TV in Israel will also air the film this year.
“ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story” is currently playing at the Cinema Village in New York where it has been held over a second week due to popular demand. The film’s also been receiving rave reviews from publications like the New York Times, the New Yorker, the New York Post, the New York Daily News, New York magazine and others.
“ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story” is the heart-breaking tale of a Japanese girl kidnapped by North Korean spies in 1977. The film follows her parents’ emotional journey to try to get her back.
The film’s Executive Producer is Oscar-winning director Jane Campion. The film is produced in association with the BBC with the assistance of Fuji TV.

For more film info, visit www.abductionfilm.com
For more info on the CBC, visit www.cbc.ca/passionateeyesunday/index.html
For media inquiries, please contact XXXX (CBC contact)

ANOTHER WEEK IN NEW YORK!!

2007-01-19T07:43:00.000-08:00

MTV interviews Patty outside the Cinema Village (right).

The film's been held over a second week due to popular demand!!

Cinema Village
22 E. 12th Street
(near University Place)
www.cinemavillage.com

NEW YORK REVIEWS!!

2007-01-15T06:50:00.000-08:00

Check out our interview on the NPR affiliate in NY. Click here:

http://www.wnyc.org/shows/lopate/episodes/2007/01/12

We've been getting some great reviews in the NY press, here's a sampling:

NEW YORK TIMES
by Matt Zoller Seitz

"“Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story” is an engrossing nonfiction detective tale about the 13-year-old girl of the title, who vanished on the way home from school in Niigata, Japan, in 1977. But it also succeeds as a thumbnail review of a painful chapter of Asian history, and as a portrait of lives transformed by trauma."

NEW YORKER
by Anthony Lane

"The testimony gathered here gives the film an enduring grip, and none of us could hope to match the forbearing persistence of Megumi’s parents. The worst aspect is, as so often, the most prosaic: the main reason that North Korea stole human beings was because it needed language teachers for its spies. All that grief, just for a chance to talk."

NEW YORK POST
V.A. Musetto

"Abduction uses interviews, vintage photos and re-creations to tell the sad story of love and hope in riveting, suspenseful style. So powerful is this film, it brought tears to my eyes."

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
by Jack Mathews

Canadians Chris Sheridan and Patty Kim's spellbinding documentary focuses on the relentless search for the truth by Megumi's parents and families of other abductees.

NEW YORK MAGAZINE ("ABDUCTION EARNS CRITICS PICK")

"When a 13-year-old girl named Megumi Yokota disappeared in 1977, her Japanese family and neighbors frantically searched for her, to no avail. This fascinating documentary by Chris Sheridan and Patty Kim reveals that Yokota was just one of many Japanese citizens kidnapped by North Koreans and used to train Kim Jong Il’s Japanese-speaking spies. Through interviews with surviving family members, journalists, and a North Korean defector, this film narrates the emotional tragedy of the Yokota family’s three-decade nightmare and reveals an underreported story shaping East Asian politics."

NEWSDAY
by Gene Seymour

The facts, alone, are compelling: In November, 1977, a 13-year-old Japanese girl named Megumi Yokota went missing on her way home from school. Her devastated parents try everything they can to figure out what's happened, but to no avail. It takes 20 years for the astounding truth to reach them and the rest of the nation: Megumi is one of at least a dozen young Japanese men and women kidnapped by North Korean spies who used them to learn how to infiltrate their homeland.

If all this sounds to Western sensibilities like an internationally flavored episode of "Law & Order," it's because this story, while obviously very big in the Far East, has been relatively under-reported in the United States. The temptation to juice up the squalid elements of this story would be hard to resist for most filmmakers. Yet, for the most part, directors Chris Sheridan and Patty Kim manage to balance the story's jolting, world-shaking elements with the more intimate details, gathered over several years, of how Megumi's parents cope with their loss and sustain their hopes despite constant setbacks.

These sweet people seem headed into a 30th year of waiting for a closure that seems dangled just out of their reach.

UNITED NATIONS OPENING

2007-01-11T07:24:00.000-08:00

(l-r) Henry Kissinger, Patty Kim, Chris Sheridan

Hi all...Sorry I didn't write sooner. It's been a little hectic. On Monday, we finally had our opening at the United Nations. The evening was well-organized and the Japanese Consul General and Japanese Mission to the United Nations did a good job at getting the word out about the film. Henry Kissinger, President Nixon's National Security advisor and sometimes advisor to President Bush, showed up and was genuinely interested in the subject of the abductions. The media was all over him and, as with other screenings, it made the nightly news in Japan. He was very curious about the film and wanted to know a lot more about the abductions of Japanese people. It was a pleasure to have got the chance to share the story with him. So far, the New York press has been pretty good on the film. Below is a small sampling of some of the reviews leading up to Friday's opening. Remember, if you know anyone in the neighborhood, tell them it opens at Cinema Village on Friday, January 12th (22 E. 12th Street at 2nd Avenue). Screenings daily at 1,3,5,7 and 9:10pm. That's all for now. More later.

FROM NEW YORK MAGAZINE:

ABDUCTION EARNS CRITICS' PICK FOR JAN.12 WEEKEND!

NEW YORK VIEW
When a 13-year-old girl named Megumi Yokota disappeared in 1977, her Japanese family and neighbors frantically searched for her, to no avail. This fascinating documentary by Chris Sheridan and Patty Kim reveals that Yokota was just one of many Japanese citizens kidnapped by North Koreans and used to train Kim Jong Il’s Japanese-speaking spies. Through interviews with surviving family members, journalists, and a North Korean defector, this film narrates the emotional tragedy of the Yokota family’s three-decade nightmare and reveals an underreported story shaping East Asian politics.

FROM SLANT MAGAZINE:

3 out of 4 STARS

Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story
Cast: Sakie Yokota and Shigeru Yokota
Directed by: Chris Sheridan and Patty Kim
Screenplay by: Chris Sheridan and Patty Kim
Distributor: Safari Media
Runtime: 85 min
Rating: NR
Year: 2006

ith its puzzling missing person's story and ominous aesthetic comprised of interviews, dramatic recreations, and ghostly still photographs, Patty Kim and Chris Sheridan's Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story initially seems like an expanded episode of Unsolved Mysteries. That alone wouldn't be a bad thing, as NBC's creepy 1980s serial was always meatier than its exploitative premise suggested. Yet Kim and Sheridan's doc eventually proves itself to be a more intricate and chilling work of real-crime nonfiction than its TV forerunner, recounting its decades-spanning case with equal measures of wrenching suspense, outrage, and empathy. In November 1977, 13-year-old Japanese girl Megumi Yokota went missing on her way home from school, a disappearance that devastated her devoted parents and remained largely unanswered until, 20 years later, the astonishing truth came to light: Megumi, as well as at least 12 others (and likely many more), had been kidnapped by North Korean spies, who used their foreign captives as tools to learn how to pass themselves off as authentic Japanese. What ensued was a vigorous battle by the victims' families to motivate Prime Minister Koizumi to retrieve their loved ones, an endeavor rife with implications both global (regarding North Korea's famine crisis and negotiations over their nuclear weapons program) and intensely personal. Sheridan and Kim wring a good deal of tension from their headline-making tale as reporters and government investigators attempt to uncover North Korea's dastardly plot, though their film's lasting impact comes from its compassionate portrait of parental devotion. A kind duo driven to discover the truth about their missing child through organized protest and political pressure, Megumi's mom Sakie and dad Shigeru are repeatedly offered, and then denied, any substantial amount of closure, a frustration heartbreakingly conveyed via Sakie's dream for Megumi—in which the girl would return home to Japan and feel "liberated" and "free" from confinement—that stands as a surrogate wish for herself. Abduction pushes its poignant buttons while casting Megumi's kidnapping as a heinous crime, yet to its credit, it consistently does so with a deftly understated, devastating touch, as when the recorded sound of Megumi delivering a choral solo gives fleeting voice to a girl whose silence (not unlike that of Kim Jong Il) hangs heavy over the still-unresolved proceedings.

ABDUCTION OPENS AT UNITED NATIONS!

2007-01-05T08:44:00.000-08:00

FILMMAKERS PREPARE FOR PREMIERE AT THE UNITED NATIONS
Abduction issue will get international audience

For immediate release
1/4/07

Washington, DC An award-winning film about a Japanese girl kidnapped by North Korean spies will get its most important audience yet when it opens next week at the United Nations. “ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story” will make its New York debut Monday at the UN before diplomats and policymakers.
“This is definitely the most important audience we’ve had,” says Chris Sheridan, who, along with his wife Patty Kim, directed and produced the 85-minute documentary. “We really hope people will see this film and finally understand why this is one of the most important human rights issues in Asia today.”
The film follows Megumi’s parents in their 30-year battle to try to get their daughter back. Called “extraordinary” by the Los Angeles Times and “heartbreaking” by the Washington Post, “ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story” has won six awards and packed theaters all over the world.
Monday’s screening at the UN precedes the film’s New York theatrical debut at the Cinema Village (22 E. 12th Street) where the general public can see it starting January 12th. In November, the film held a very successful premiere at the National Geographic Society in Washington, DC before it opened to the general public. The film received critical praise and was extended four weeks due to popular demand.
“ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story” is produced in association with the BBC and with the assistance of Fuji TV.
The Executive Producer of the film is Jane Campion, the Oscar-winning director of “The Piano”.

For press inquiries, please contact Alexis Thomas at (212) 414-0408
For film info, visit www.abductionfilm.com

GET READY NY, CHICAGO, AUSTIN!!

2006-12-22T05:17:00.000-08:00

After a successful four weeks in DC, the film's now off to bigger and better thing. Here's where we'll be next month...

NEW YORK PREMIERE!
Opens Jan. 12
Cinema Village
22 E. 12th Street
(212) 924-3363
www.cinemavillage.com

AUSTIN PREMIERE!
Jan. 3rd, 7th, 16th
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Downtown
409 Colorado Street
(512) 476-1320
www.originalalamo.com

CHICAGO PREMIERE!
Opens Jan. 26
Gene Siskel Film Center
164 North State Street
(312) 846-2600
www.siskelfilmcenter.org

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

2006-12-19T07:31:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since we posted messages from people who are going to the film.
Here are some recent ones that we've been getting from viewers...

Dear Chris and Patty: Congratulations on a magnificent achievement.
Although I was unable to accept your invitation to the premier, I later
saw the film along with my family at the E Street Theater. You have
captured this bizarre tragedy in a moving drama focusing on the families
and their milieu. As a senior State Department official, I met the
families on their first visit to Washington in 2001. I had earlier
raised the plight of the abductees in numerous meetings with the North
Koreans. No one can watch your film without understanding how deeply
this episode has affected Japan. I will certainly recommend that
friends in New York and Washington see the film. Best regards, Tom
(the writer is a former US Ambassador)

Dear Chris and Patty:

I did go down and see Abduction last Friday.
I went to the demonstration by the Japanese NGOs in front of the White House
right after the movie, protesting against abduction by Kim Jong-il. The
movie was very powerful, and I cried a lot. Especially when I had to watch
the mothers crying for their children. Megumi has been a big part of the
Kim Jong-il's Genocide Exhibit, and I knew her story better than others.
However, it was different watching your movie, I was overwhelmed. I read it
has been a huge success in DC as well as in Japan. You worked so hard you
deserve all the applause and awards Abduction got. Hope to see you soon
sometime in the near future. I wrote an article about you and Abduction
yesterday in Korean for the ignorant and selfish people in South Korea. I
hope Abduction turns them around, and helps save our people in North Korea.
Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year to you!

Warm regards,

Sin

Dear Chris and Patty,

I just went to see the film last weekend at E St. cinema in DC. I have been really eager to watch the film and was extremely moved by the personal touch you put on the story. Audiences related extremely well with Megumi's and other families that lost loved ones to such hedious acts of terrorism. I found myself crying over some scenes as I also heard some sobs across the theatre. It was an extremely powerful story and I really congratulate you on telling it so well on film. Your movie has really inspired me to do some further research on the abduction issue and I wish you continued success on future screenings and your next films.

Regards,

Wadee

Dear Chris and Patty,

I just watched your film last week, and am writing to express many
thanks from my heart to your efforts.
I could not stop my tears all through the film. Both from my individual
and objective perspectives, I will not forget this film forever.
Although I know some of the story, the film makes me renew my feelin
and thinking. At the individual level, I thought about parents', including
my parents', deep and infinite loves, and was stunned by Yokota-san's
continuing beliefs and efforts even facing piles of obstacles and
hardships. I felt a stream of strength and warmth through the darkness of life and
socity.
For the objective part, I thought back about how the decision-making is
slow in the government, and how the civil society tends to overlook
important issues. If I have any chance to go back to Japan to teach college
students in international studies that is my area, I would like to discuss with
them how the individual lives are related to the international society with
your film. For the time being, I will recommend my friends in Japan to take
a look at your film.

Best Regards,

Mika

Hey Patty,

I thought it was a really great film. I was especially impressed by your ability to tell a story - just the right amount of big picture and small details to maintain interest. Showing the private lives of Megumi's parents also brought an intimacy to the story that totally involved me. You should be very proud.

Eric

I just saw an incredible film tonight called "Abduction." It's a documentary about the
kidnapping of Japanese citizens by North Korean agents. You need to see this film! It's at the Landmark E Street Theatre.

Cheers,
Max

NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE ON THE ABDUCTIONS

2006-12-19T07:02:00.000-08:00

FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES:

Japan Rightists Fan Fury Over North Korea Abductions

By NORIMITSU ONISHI

Published: December 17, 2006

TOKYO, Dec. 16 — The Japanese government’s posters show the map of a blood-red North Korea blotting out the eyes of a Japanese teenager. They hint darkly that this country’s youth are at risk and urge Japanese to open their eyes to the threat from North Korea.

The posters were on prominent display at a rally this week to call attention to Japanese abducted by North Korea three decades ago and who, Japan says, are still held there.

The people who usually show up at such events — family members, their supporters, members of right-wing organizations — waited for a special first-time guest: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. “We can never compromise on the abduction issue,” Mr. Abe told the crowd. “I swear that my administration will tackle this as its top priority.”

Outside Japan, the abductions may have played out long ago, after North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-il, admitted four years ago that the crimes had occurred and returned five survivors. But here, they are still a burning issue, kept alive in the news media every day by nationalist politicians and groups that pound at the topic as firmly as their cherished goals, such as jettisoning the pacifist Constitution and instilling patriotism and moral values in schools.

The highly emotional issue has contributed to silencing more moderate voices who expose themselves to physical harm or verbal threats from the right wing.

By championing this one cause, Mr. Abe rose from obscurity to become prime minister three months ago. But Mr. Abe, who has backpedaled on economic changes undertaken by his popular predecessor, Junichiro Koizumi, has begun to plummet in the polls. To survive politically, he will probably have to keep leaning on the abduction issue.

In a move that raised concerns about the news media’s freedom, Mr. Abe recently ordered the public broadcaster, NHK, to further emphasize abductions in its international radio broadcasts. NHK agreed, even though it had already been devoting about a third of its news content to the topic in the first nine months of this year, according to NHK.

The National Police Agency announced last month that it had identified yet another Japanese abductee, Kyoko Matsumoto, the 17th. The police offered no fresh evidence to back up its announcement. Its chief, Iwao Uruma, said simply of the abduction issue, “I want to send a signal that Japan has not forgotten about it.”

The announcement fanned anger across the nation as the national media converged on Ms. Matsumoto’s hometown, Yonago, a remote city in western Japan. They showed her frail 83-year-old mother clutching the cardigan her daughter had knitted for her before vanishing in 1977.

At a Sunday rally in Yonago, attended by the mother and a brother, right-wing supporters offered encouragement but also expounded on pet causes. Kazuhiro Araki, national leader of the Investigation Commission on Missing Japanese, a private group, harshly criticized postwar Japan’s exclusive emphasis on self-defense and rejection of offensive weapons.

“This is nothing but a complete delusion,” he said.

Later, in an interview in Tokyo, Mr. Araki said he believed the decision to name Ms. Matsumoto was a political one. “I think there was almost no new information,” he said of the police investigation. “The Abe administration came into power and told everyone to do something, and so the police offered this card.”

In an interview inside his home in Yonago, Hajime Matsumoto, 59, the brother, said the family was relieved that Ms. Matsumoto had finally been recognized as an abductee. He said he felt uncomfortable that nationalists were trying to advance their causes through unresolved abductions, but he was also philosophical about it.

“In a sense, that can’t be helped,” he said. “For example, if they try to work on educational issues and constitutional revision without the abduction issue, I think it would be extremely difficult to make a breakthrough in Parliament.”

“It’s easier for them to put a substantial agenda on the table and place an issue like the abduction issue on top, grouping four or five issues together,” he said. “It’s a means to an end.”

Indeed, this week Mr. Abe’s governing Liberal Democrat Party passed an education law that emphasizes patriotism, moral values and the public good. The government built support for the law by paying people to ask leading questions and make supportive statements at town meetings across the country, a government report said.

But the abduction issue is so delicate that the media do not report on the right-wing groups behind the movement, and most Japanese remain unaware of it.

Kyoko Nakayama, special adviser to Mr. Abe on abductions, denied that the government was exploiting the subject. The government says 12 of the 17 Japanese kidnapped by North Korea are still unaccounted for; the North says they died or were never kidnapped in the first place.

“If people see we are taking advantage of the abduction issue for political purposes,” Ms. Nakayama said in an interview, “I think nobody would support us. A considerable number of Japanese citizens have been abducted. They’re not allowed to make even a phone call and have been stripped of their freedom. That fact itself indicates that the security of the Japanese is being threatened.”

Challenging the political importance of the abduction issue has become such a taboo that even opposition politicians refrain from doing so. Liberal journalists and scholars expand privately on the manipulation of the abduction issue, but few dare to make public comments.

“The abduction issue is something that everyone, even schoolchildren, can understand,” said Yoneyuki Sugita, a historian at Osaka University. “Prime Minister Abe is using this issue to try to carry out certain political goals. North Korea is evil, and to respond against it, he is effectively saying that Japan must revise its Constitution and promote patriotism in its schools. This is the direction in which he is pushing this country. This has been very successful.”

“But it’s also very dangerous,” said Mr. Sugita, who received threats from the right wing after publishing an essay on this subject. “It’s become such an emotional issue, and fanned nationalism in such a way, that it has already encroached on freedom of speech.”

The issue has silenced Japanese moderates critical of the government’s overall hawkish domestic and foreign policies.

One exception, Koichi Kato, a senior lawmaker in Mr. Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party, has been an outspoken critic of hard-line policies toward Asia and of the resurgent nationalism in Japan. In August, a right-wing official angered by Mr. Kato’s comments burned down his family home before trying unsuccessfully to commit hara-kiri.

“It’s not only the abduction issue, but also anti-China and anti-North Korea sentiments,” Mr. Kato said of the subjects fueling Japanese nationalism, choosing his words cautiously.

Katsumi Sato, 77, leader of the National Association for the Rescue of Japanese Kidnapped by North Korea, a private organization with chapters nationwide, said he was focused only on the abductees. But in an interview, he said many of his group’s regional leaders were also active in Nippon Kaigi, Japan’s largest nationalist organization, which rejects postwar pacifism, embraces the imperial system and defends Japan’s past wars in Asia.

“In the regions, there are some right-wingers in our movement, a fact which makes it look extremely tilted to the right,” said Mr. Sato, who was invited to meet Mr. Abe a few days after he was elected.

In Yonago, Yuichi Imaoka, 81, is the head of both the rescue association and Nippon Kaigi. In Mr. Abe, Mr. Imaoka said he believed he had a leader who would redress what he saw as the perversions of postwar Japan, like the overemphasis on individualism and loss of male prerogative, which, to him, had given women and children too many rights.

Like many in Nippon Kaigi, Mr. Imaoka credits America, not for bringing democracy to Japan, but for emasculating it with pacifism.

“Isn’t it ridiculous that it’s a taboo to have a debate on whether we should have nuclear arms?” he said, echoing Mr. Abe’s top aides. “We should discuss it freely.”

IT KEEPS GOING!

2006-12-15T08:52:00.000-08:00

The film's been held over yet another week at the E Street Theaters in Washington, DC (corner of E and 11th Streets NW)!

ABDUCTION HELD OVER FOR 3RD WEEK!

2006-12-07T14:40:00.000-08:00

What great news! The E Street Theaters are holding the film for another week until December 14th. So, if you haven't seen it, you still have time to check it out. The corner of E Street and 11th NW, Washington, DC. Website is www.landmarktheatres.com.

WALL STREET JOURNAL

2006-12-04T21:35:00.000-08:00

EDITORIAL BOARD

Without a Trace
Megumi Yokota was 13 when the North Koreans kidnapped her in 1977. She hasn't been heard from since.

BY MELANIE KIRKPATRICK
Sunday, December 3, 2006 12:01 a.m. EST

Scene: A lonely residential street in the city of Niigata, along the western coast of Japan.

Time: Late afternoon in the autumn of 1977.

Action: A 13-year-old girl is walking home from school, having stayed late for badminton practice. She waves goodbye to friends, turns the corner, and is never seen again.

This is the true story of "Abduction," a documentary that opened in Japan last weekend after winning accolades at several international film festivals. The lost girl is Megumi Yokota. In 2002, North Korea admitted that it had kidnapped Megumi, along with 12 other Japanese citizens, enslaving them for the purpose of training its spies to pass as Japanese. "Megumi-chan," or "Little Megumi," is now a household name in Japan. President Bush met with Megumi's mother and brother in the White House last April, calling it "one of the most moving meetings since I've been the President."

In the wake of North Korea's recent nuclear test and missile launches, it's easy to neglect the other central fact of Kim Jong Il's regime: its abuse of human rights. This is the preferred approach of Beijing, whose stated policy is to track down and repatriate the tens of thousands of desperate North Koreans who have crossed the border into northeast China. It refuses to let the United Nations help the refugees and sends them back to face prison camps or worse.

More grotesquely, it is also the attitude of South Korea, which closes its eyes to the North's depredations. It permits what amounts to slave labor in the Kaesong joint economic zone over the border in the North. Moreover, President Roh Moo-hyun's "sunshine policy" has shed no light on the fate of several hundred South Koreans who were kidnapped by the North or the hundreds of Korean War soldiers from the South whom Pyongyang has been holding as POWs for more than 50 years.

As "Abduction" explains, it took years before Megumi's parents suspected what had happened to their daughter, and even now, the full story remains unknown. In the film, Ahn Myong-Jin, a former North Korean spy who defected to the South in 1993, describes what his instructor at the spy school--a Mr. Chung--told him about Megumi's kidnapping. The girl was hidden inside a steel compartment in the hold of a freighter during the 200-mile journey to North Korea, he says, scratching at the door so hard in an effort to escape that her nails came off. Mr. Chung felt "terrible," he says, when he discovered he had grabbed a child. Mr. Ahn remembers seeing the grown-up Megumi once, a beautiful young woman with "pure eyes."
Akitaka Saiki, who led Japan's negotiations with Pyongyang on the abduction issue and is now deputy chief of mission at the Japanese Embassy in Washington, says the "Japanese government has identified that at least 17 Japanese citizens have been abducted in 12 separate cases." Are there others? "There are still others who disappeared suddenly without good reason--suddenly from the beach, suddenly from a train station. We've identified 17 people with 100% certainty. There may be more." No. 17--a 29-year-old woman kidnapped in 1977 on her way to a knitting class--was added to the list only two weeks ago.

Pyongyang has permitted just five abductees to return to Japan, and Mr. Saiki expresses skepticism about its explanations for what happened to the rest. One supposedly died in a traffic accident, but "how could a traffic accident have occurred in a country that has so few automobiles?" he asks. Another was said to have had a heart attack, "but that's hard to accept about a woman in her 20s."

And what of Megumi? In Pyongyang, in November 2004, North Korea announced that she had killed herself in 1994, handing over her "remains" to Mr. Saiki. Subsequent DNA analysis showed that they were not Megumi's. Mr. Ahn, the former North Korean spy, says he has heard that she was teaching Japanese to Kim Jong Il's son. Is she still alive? "That's what we believe," says Mr. Saiki.
Japan always raises the kidnapping of its citizens in the six-party talks, Mr. Saiki says. "The main topic is nuclear, but for us, we always remind North Korea and the other participants in the talks of the abduction issue. . . . Russia, China and South Korea, even, are not very eager to have human rights discussed in a multilateral setting," he says, but they go along. "The U.S. government always supports us."

Meanwhile, as they wait for her return, Megumi's parents, and the relatives of other Japanese whose sons or daughters, brothers or sisters were kidnapped by North Korea, wear blue ribbons in their honor. The blue symbolizes the sea that divides the families from their loved ones and the sky that unites them.

Ms. Kirkpatrick is a deputy editor of The Wall Street Journal's editorial page.

"ABDUCTION" FINISHES NUMBER ONE!!

2006-12-01T13:28:00.000-08:00

"ABDUCTION" FINISHES NUMBER ONE OPENING WEEK
DC screenings extended another week

For Immediate Release
12/1/06

WASHINGTON, DC Following a strong opening weekend in Washington, DC, "ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story" has come out as the top film at the E Street Theaters. Landmark Theaters, which owns and operates the E Street Theaters in DC, reported its attendance numbers Thursday night. "This is wonderful news," said Chris Sheridan, who, along with his wife, Patty Kim, directed and produced the documentary film. "It shows that audiences really want to see this film and want to hear the story of Megumi and her family."
"ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota" Story opened Friday, November 24th, Thanksgiving weekend, to excellent reviews in The Washington Post, the City Paper and the Washington Times. It beat out much larger, bigger-budgeted films like "The Fountain", "The Last King of Scotland" and "The Queen". It was only supposed to continue until November 30th, but Landmark Theaters decided to extend the film until December 7th due to its popularity.
The film tells the story of Megumi Yokota, a 13-year-old Japanese girl kidnapped by North Korean spies. The filmmakers followed her parents' emotional journey to try to bring her home.
"ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story" is produced in association with the BBC and with the assistance of Fuji TV. The Executive Producer of "ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story" is Jane Campion, the Oscar-winning director of "The Piano".

HUGE LINES IN JAPAN, DC SHOWS HELD OVER!!

2006-11-29T03:40:00.000-08:00

The opening weekends in Japan and Washington, DC proved to be very successful. In Tokyo, people waited for two hours outside theaters to get tickets to see "ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story". In DC, Landmark Theaters decided to show the film for another week as a result of its popularity. A fantastic start for the film in its first weekend!!

REPORTS FROM JAPAN OPENING!

2006-11-26T07:11:00.000-08:00

Yokota documentary opens in Japan
The Yomiuri Shimbun

A documentary film on the activities over the past 29 years by Shigeru and Sakie Yokota in trying to reunite with their daughter Megumi, who was abducted by North Korea, opened Saturday with the hope it will raise more awareness on the abduction issue.

"Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story" is directed by Chris Sheridan, a one-time producer for a Canadian TV station, and his wife, Patty Kim, who was an anchor at the station.

The documentary has already been shown in the United States and Canada and is scheduled for release in South Korea.

Shigeru said, "I hope the film will become widely known through word of mouth by those who watch it, raising awareness of the abduction issue worldwide."

Sheridan, 37, and Kim, 36, first learned about the abduction in an article in The Washington Post following the Japan-North Korea summit meeting in September 2002. From the article, they learned Megumi, was only 13 years old when she was abducted by North Korea in 1977.

Kim said through the abduction issue, people can also see the love of Megumi's family, which has been trying to rescue her.

Many viewers at screenings in the United States were moved by the story of the Yokotas, who have been looking for their daughter for nearly 30 years, she added.

The film was selected for the Best Documentary Audience Award at the Slamdance Film Festival held in January in Utah. The film also received honors at six film festivals.

The film also has been shown in Australia and New Zealand.

The 80-minute film shows the Yokotas giving talks about the abduction issue across the nation, as well as trivial family matters.

In 1979, when the government had yet to formally recognize Megumi as a North Korean abduction victim, Sakie appeared on a program for a commercial TV station to seek information about her missing daughter.

On the program, Sakie spoke to the viewers, hoping Megumi was one of them, saying, "Megumi, I really don't think you'd just leave us." The clip is included in the documentary.

The film opened at 37 movie theaters in 18 prefectures Saturday and is scheduled to be released in about 70 movie theaters in 38 prefectures by mid-February.

At Cinema Gaga, a movie theater in Shibuya, Tokyo, its roughly 200 seats were soon filled for the first screening starting at 9:40 a.m. Saturday. Some audience members were heard sobbing through the showing, while many others seemed engrossed in the film.

After the screening, Shigeru, Sakie and Teruaki Masumoto, 51, secretary general of the Association of the Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea, spoke on the stage.

Shigeru, 74, said: "The packed theater indicates a high interest in the abduction issue, and I feel very encouraged. I believe this film will be of great help in solving the issue."

Sakie, 70, said: "The film reveals our suffering, frustration and everything. I think those who watched the film could understand what the abduction is all about and what kind of country North Korea is to us."

Kazue Nakaijma, 68, of Suginami Ward, Tokyo, who watched the film, said, "I'm close to the Yokotas' age, and my eldest daughter is almost the same age as Ms. Megumi, so I could feel strongly the family's sadness for Megumi going missing."

"I hope the Yokotas can be reunited with their daughter soon," she added.

(Nov. 26, 2006)

Sunday, Nov. 26, 2006

Award-winning documentary film on Megumi Yokota debuts in Japan
Kyodo News

A critically acclaimed Canadian documentary about one of the North Korean abductees hit screens across Japan Saturday.

Shigeru Yokota (right) and his wife, Sakie, look at messages posted Saturday in a theater in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, by viewers of a Canadian documentary about their daughter, Megumi, who was abducted by North Korea in 1977.

"Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story" was released in 37 theaters in Tokyo and 17 other prefectures, including Hokkaido, Kanagawa, Osaka, Hiroshima and Fukuoka. It will be shown in 20 other prefectures by mid-February.

Directed by journalists Chris Sheridan and his wife, Patty Kim, the film details what Yokota's parents, Shigeru and Sakie, have been through since their 13-year-old daughter was abducted in 1977 and their struggle to enlist government help in rescuing her and other abductees.

The parents made speeches Saturday morning at a sold-out cinema in Tokyo's Shibuya area.

The full theater "represents the keen interest toward the abduction issue. I feel grateful and encouraged. I believe this movie will be a major help to solve the issue," Shigeru Yokota, 74, said.

Sakie Yokota, 70, said, "I hope you will continue supporting us until the issue is resolved completely."

Among its honors, the 85-minute film was named best documentary at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival and won the audience award at the Slamdance Film Festival in Utah earlier this year.

North Korea admitted to abducting Yokota and 12 other Japanese in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

ABDUCTION OPENS ACROSS JAPAN!

2006-11-25T09:29:00.000-08:00

FROM JAPAN TODAY

ENTERTAINMENT
Megumi Yokota film opens in Japan
Saturday, November 25, 2006 at 14:31 EST
TOKYO — A critically acclaimed documentary telling the story of a Japanese girl kidnapped by North Korean agents who became a symbol of one of Japan's most thorny diplomatic issues, hit screens across Japan Saturday. "Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story" was released in 37 movie theaters in 18 prefectures, including Hokkaido, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Osaka, Hiroshima and Fukuoka. It will be shown in 20 other prefectures as well by the mid-February.

Directed by Canadian journalists Chris Sheridan and his wife, Patty Kim, the film details what Megumi's parents, Shigeru and Sakie, have been through since their 13-year-old daughter's 1977 abduction and their struggle to enlist Japanese government help in rescuing her and other abductees. The parents made speeches Saturday morning at a theater in Tokyo's Shibuya area, where the 200 seats were full from the day's first showing.

The 85-minute film won Best Documentary at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival and the Audience Awards at the Slamdance Film Festival in Utah, among others, earlier this year.

WASHINGTON POST ARTICLE

2006-11-25T05:28:00.000-08:00

Stealing Lives To Pilfer Secrets
A Child Is Kidnapped, and Political Hostility Is to Blame
By Anita Huslin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, November 24, 2006; Page C01

Years before Adam Walsh and Polly Klass and Elizabeth Smart, there was Megumi Yokota.

She was 13 and loved badminton and singing in the choir. Then one day 29 years ago, she started walking home from school in Niigata, Japan, with a friend. They parted ways at the intersection where Megumi always turned right, and her friend went left. Her family hasn't seen her since.

In the beginning, they thought she might have been injured and was unable to get home. Perhaps she ran away. As time passed, the thoughts became darker. Kidnapped, raped, murdered.

When the answer finally emerged 20 years later, it was worse than anything they had imagined. They were not up against a deranged individual, but a despotic government that could not be brought to justice. And their own government, for the longest time, refused to intercede.

Now, two D.C. filmmakers have chronicled the sad quest of Shigeru and Sakie Yokota in an 85-minute documentary, "Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story." With painstaking reporting and poignant interviews, the husband-and-wife team of Patty Kim and Chris Sheridan trace the frustrations of the Yokotas over the years as they try to make the case that their daughter was grabbed by North Korean agents to teach Japanese culture and language to their spies.

"Abduction," which opens Nov. 24 at the E Street Cinema, portrays the couple's rise to the fore of an anguished fraternity of parents -- both South Korean and Japanese -- who suspect their children have been kidnapped by the Pyongyang government.

Twenty years after Megumi disappears, her parents learn from a North Korean spy who defected that the kidnapping was a mistake. Her abductors hadn't realized she was so young. The rest of the abductees had been older, students and professionals in their early 20s. The Yokotas have learned to use this fact to attract international attention to their story.

Pursuing the narrative was Kim's idea. Then a host for the cable show "National Geographic on Assignment," she read a newspaper article several years ago about the kidnappings. She and Sheridan left their jobs -- he worked as a producer on the same show -- and spent two years doing research and interviews. They ran up their credit cards and took freelance jobs to finance the project.

After debuting at the Slamdance Film Festival in Utah, and winning awards there and at others in Austin, Dallas, San Francisco and Toronto, "Abduction" was screened for the Japanese prime minister and members of the Japanese parliament in Tokyo this year. From Washington, it goes on to major U.S. cities, Canada and Great Britain.

In a piece of footage shot by a Japanese television station a year and a half after Megumi disappeared, a young Sakie Yokota stands before a camera and makes a tearful plea "to the people of Japan, if you know something about this, even if it's something small, please call." Later, she blames herself. "I'm not perfect. I wondered if I failed her. Or there was something I didn't know about her."

From there, Kim and Sheridan retrace the couple's transformation into the activists that no parents would ever wish to become.

The Yokotas join other families who are fighting for official recognition of North Korea's misdeeds. It takes 20 years for them to get the Japanese government to acknowledge the problem. When it does, the North Koreans simply deny it. "As the rest of the world knows, our country has nothing to do with abductions or other terrorist activities," North Korean state radio insists. Diplomatic negotiations begin, but are drawn out over the years.

Meanwhile, the families try to carry on with their lives, leaving notes behind on the doors of their old homes when they move. Decades later, it is the defector who offers information about what happened to their daughter. He says she was snatched from the street and taken to a cargo ship, where she vomited and cried for her mother on the trip to Pyongyang, clawing the walls until her hands bled.

The Yokotas meet the families of other abductees: In Fukui, a 24-year-old carpenter, Yashushi Chimura, and his date, Fukui Hamamoto, disappeared from a beach. In Kagoshima, a 24-year-old phone company employee, Shuichi Ichikawa, vanished with his girlfriend, Rumiko Masumoto, also 24, after they went to watch the sunset at the beach. In Niigata, a 22-year-old college student named Kaoru Hasuike and his girlfriend, Yukiko Okudo, went missing while on a date.

Sakie changes from a helpless, weeping mother into a poised, relentless advocate. She and her husband visit Washington with a group of other parents to testify before Congress. They protest outside the ruling party's headquarters in Japan. When North Korea seeks rice and other humanitarian aid from Japan, she and others urge the prime minister to link any aid to admission by North Korea of the kidnappings, and the return of their family members.

"I'm not a strong person," Sakie says at one point, sitting in the tiny apartment she shares with her husband. But the cause has taken over her life. "When she disappeared, the sadness knocked me as low as I could go." She turned to Bible classes for the first time and found solace. "The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away," she says.

"If there's a God, then He'd give Megumi back to us," her husband retorts.

It is not until 2002 that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il acknowledges the kidnappings. Encouraged, but not satisfied, the families press Japan to find out more about their loved ones and bring them back.

"I strongly protested to Kim Jong Il," said Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, after North Korea finally confirms that the Japanese indeed had been kidnapped so they could teach Japanese to Pyongyang's agents and its spies could assume their identities.

Eventually, the North Korean government says that eight of the Japanese abductees are dead, and allows the remaining five to return to Japan. North Korea says Megumi committed suicide, but her parents remain dubious.

The film depicts lives that have been frozen in time by the abductions, and aged by them, as well. A mother grows gray and dies. A father, on his deathbed, apologizes to his missing daughter that he will not be there to see her come home. Another father dusts his son's model airplanes, still sitting in the bedroom he last occupied 30 years ago. A young girl, wearing her mother's kimono and her first hint of lipstick, gazes from a photograph taken months before she disappeared.

"Behind every geopolitical mess you see people like this whose lives have been drastically altered in some way," Kim says. "You'd think this could never happen in real life. But I can imagine my mom and dad standing outside a stone government building and shouting at the officials inside."

The film, she says, resonates on another level as well.

"Without passion you will fail, because that is the only thing that will sustain you."

JAPANESE WEBSITE

2006-11-23T22:37:00.000-08:00

Check out the Japanese website for the film:

http://megumi.gyao.jp/

WASHINGTON PREMIERE A SUCCESS!

2006-11-22T19:35:00.000-08:00

(l-r) Chris Sheridan (director/producer "ABDUCTION"), Patty Kim (director/producer "ABDUCTION"), Japanese Ambassador Ryozo Kato, Terry Adamson (Senior Vice President, National Geographic Society) at Monday's premiere of "ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story".

Well, one premiere down, many more to go. Monday night's theatrical premiere of "ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story" in Washington, DC was definitely a highlight in the life of this film. Politicians, Ambassadors, policymakers and regular folks showed up at the National Geographic Society headquarters to see the film. After the screening of the film Patty and I were joined on stage by Teruaki Masumoto whose sister was abducted in 1978 by North Korean agents. Masumoto is one of the people featured in the film. A very engaged audience asked questions for about 20 minutes before everyone proceeded a reception in National Geographic's Hubbard Hall. A very successful night and a great opening for the film in Washington. Now onto the E Street Theaters on Friday where the film will open to the general public. We're very anxious and excited to see how the film does in our hometown. We've worked really hard to get the word out and it seems to be working. We'll be on hand for Q&As throughout the weekend so come on by if you're in the DC area!

LATEST VARIETY ARTICLE ON "ABDUCTION"

2006-11-06T12:25:00.000-08:00

Preem date nabbed
Doc focuses on N. Korean kidnappings
By TIMOTHY M. GRAY
Gaga has set a Nov. 25 launch in Japan for the documentary "Abduction," which centers on a series of kidnappings that have remained a hot-button topic there for decades.
But after North Korea's nuclear bomb detonations last month, the events have taken on global implications that are, well, explosive.

The film centers on a 13-year-old Japanese girl who vanished on her way home from school in November 1977. As her family searched for her, it became clear that there were a dozen other kidnappings of Japanese people, conducted by North Korea. The families campaigned for the return of their relatives, not knowing if any of them were still alive. Doc reveals the strange motives behind the kidnappings as it explores the fates of the 13.

The abductions became a key campaign issue in the recent election of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

In the past month, North Korea's treatment of foreigners has become a factor as other countries wrangle with its leader, Kim Jong-Il, over the nuclear issue. (Kim has given inadvertent publicity to the doc by putting the country more in the spotlight.)

"Abduction" gets its U.S. launch on Nov. 24 at the E Street Theater in D.C. The pic also bows Jan. 12 at the Cinema Village in New York.

The film was made by D.C.-based filmmakers Patty Kim and Chris Sheridan and exec produced by Jane Campion ("The Piano"). It was produced by Safari Media in association with the BBC, with Safari handling international rights.

Read the full article at:
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117953319.html

"ABDUCTION" featured this weekend on PBS

2006-11-02T12:59:00.000-08:00

For immediate release
11/2/06

Washington, DC An award-winning film about a Japanese girl abducted by North Korean spies will be featured on PBS's "Foreign Exchange with Fareed Zakaria" this weekend. "ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story" tells the story of 13-year-old Megumi Yokota, who was kidnapped while walking home from school in 1977. The film follows her parents' emotional 30-year struggle to bring her home. "ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story" has won six awards in the US and received critical praise from the Los Angeles Times, which called the film "extraordinary". The film will be released theatrically in Washington, DC on November 24th at Landmark's E Street Theatres.
"Foreign Exchange with Fareed Zakaria" airs Sunday, November 5 at 9am on PBS (WETA in Washington, DC).

For more info on the show, go to www.foreignexchange.tv

ABDUCTION Wins Austin Film Festival!!

2006-10-23T20:29:00.000-07:00

ABDUCTION WINS SIXTH AWARD IN THE US
Directors prepare for Washington theatrical premiere

For Immediate Release
10/23/06

Washington, DC An award-winning film that’s captured the attention of audiences around the world has won its sixth award. “ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story” won the award for Best Documentary Feature at the prestigious Austin Film Festival.
Directors Chris Sheridan and Patty Kim were at the awards ceremony on Saturday, October 21st in Austin to accept their prize. With some of Hollywood’s most recognized names in attendance, including Sydney Pollack (director, Out of Africa, Tootsie, Absence of Malice), Shane Black (writer, Lethal Weapon, Last Action Hero) and Ian McShane (actor, Deadwood), Kim and Sheridan accepted the award and paid tribute to the two people featured in the film: Megumi Yokota’s parents. “This film is an incredible story about how two parents turned their grief into something positive,” said Kim. “We’re inspired every day by their courage.”
The Austin Film Festival is considered one of the best and most competitive in the country. “ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story” beat out hundreds of films for the top prize.
The documentary feature tells the story of Megumi Yokota, a 13-year-old Japanese girl kidnapped by North Korean spies. The film follows her parents’ incredibly emotional struggle to try to get her back. Hailed by the Los Angeles Times as “extraordinary” and Variety as “exceptional”, ABDUCTION also received accolades from the Austin Chronicle which praised the directors for doing a “wonderful job”.
Recently, “ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story” was featured on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360, one of the cable station’s most popular shows.
The film will open theatrically in Washington, DC on November 24th at the E Street Cinema and across Japan on November 25th. There will also be a special red carpet screening hosted by the Japanese Embassy on November 20th in Washington, DC at the National Geographic Society.
“ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story” is produced in association with the BBC. The Executive Producer is Jane Campion, Academy-Award-winning director of “The Piano”.

For more info on the Austin Film Festival, visit www.austinfilmfestival.com
For more info on the film, visit www.abductionfilm.com
For media inquiries, please contact Yuko Kawabe at 1-703-350-3616

ANDERSON COOPER AGAIN!!

2006-10-17T23:22:00.000-07:00

CNN's Anderson Cooper is really interested in the story of the Japanese abductions. For a second time he added the story of our film and Megumi's parents to the line-up. It aired again on October 17th.

(POSTPONED) DIRECTORS ON CNN'S "ANDERSON COOPER 360"

2006-10-11T11:05:00.000-07:00

This has been postponed until Thursday 10/12/06 due to the plane crash in New York City.

FILM DIRECTORS ON CNN’s ANDERSON COOPER TONIGHT
Japanese abduction story will get its biggest audience yet

For Immediate Release
10/11/06

Washington, DC An award-winning film documenting the abduction of a Japanese girl by North Korean spies will get its biggest audience yet when CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360” covers the story for the first time tonight. “ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story” will be part of a larger feature story on the Japanese abductions.
“We’re really hoping this will raise the profile of the abduction issue in America,” said Chris Sheridan, who produced and directed the film along with his wife Patty Kim. “Most Americans don’t know this story at all so this will be a great introduction to it.”
The “CNN Anderson Cooper 360” show’s producers heard about the story of the Japanese abductions when CNN’s Tokyo correspondent Atika Shubert first reported on the film back in January, 2006. They’ve been in discussions with the filmmakers ever since about doing a feature story on the Japanese abductions and the film.
“ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story” documents the bizarre kidnapping of 13-year-old Megumi Yokota from Niigata, Japan in 1977. The film follows her parents’ emotional 30-year battle to bring her home. Hailed by the Los Angeles Times as a work of “narrative mastery” and by Variety as “exceptional”, the film’s won several awards including the prestigious Audience Award for Best Documentary at the Slamdance Film Festival.
The directors recently returned from a week-long media tour in Japan to promote the film’s upcoming theatrical release there in November. It will also open in Washington, DC at Landmark’s E Street Cinema on November 24th.

CNN Anderson Cooper 360 airs at 10pm Eastern Time/8pm Pacific Time in the US.

For more info, visit http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/anderson.cooper.360/
For film info, go to www.abductionfilm.com
For media inquiries, contact Yuko Kawabe at 1-703-350-3616

INTEREST IN JAPAN HIGH!!

2006-10-09T19:10:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

We're just back from our second trip to Japan this year and this time, it was much crazier. I barely got any sleep because I just couldn't get over the time difference (this is a consistent problem for me in Japan) but it didn't matter because we were well looked after. Our wonderful distributor, Gaga Communications Inc., brought us over to promote the film's upcoming theatrical release in November. The film will open in 20 cities across Japan I'm told. Originally, the release was supposed to be much smaller but apparently theater owners called Gaga asking for the film. This is a big coup for the story of the Japanese abductions since a lot of Japanese people still do not know the whole story. Anyway, our media tour turned out to be one of the most intense that the distributor has ever had to plan. Three days of non-stop interviews with every major newspaper, TV station and radio. 45 interviews in total. Whew! But it's all worth it since it will help get the story out. Patty and I had the kind of experience in Japan on this latest tour that every filmmaker should have at least once in their life...everything's well-planned, taken care of and the publicity is topknotch. We'll see whether it all pays off on November 25th when the film opens. In the meantime, I've added a photo (above) to show one of the best days of the tour...October 5th, Megumi's 42nd birthday. Megumi's parents can barely be seen to the right of the photo along with us. At the press conference, Megumi's Mom said to the media that this film is the best birthday present they could give Megumi. Patty and I were nearly in tears. We hope you'll spread the word to your friends in Japan but don't forget that the film's opening in Washington, DC on November 24th at the Landmark E Street Cinema as well. I'll blog more on that later.

UPCOMING AND NEWSWEEK ARTICLE

2006-09-19T13:22:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

Sorry to be so negligent by not keeping you up-to-date on the goings on but things are going very smoothly. As some of you know, the film will open in Shibuya, one of Tokyo's hippest districts at the GAGA Theatre there on November 25th. Tell all your friends and family to go. The film's release in the US will be the same week and we will soon have all the details so stay tuned. We hope you'll get the word out. We'll also be at the Austin Film Festival, the Denver Film Festival and then for a screening in Boston in October so keep checking the "screenings" section of our website for that info. I've included below an article that ran recently in Newsweek Japan. It gives a good idea of how our LA premiere went.

FROM NEWSWEEK JAPAN:

“Abduction: A Japanese story makes waves in America”
Written by Ryan Mottesheard

When a thirteen-year old girl goes missing, a million nightmare scenarios instantly race through your head. One however, that does not immediately come to mind is that she has been abducted by the North Korean spies. That is the subject of the film, “Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story,” a new documentary from US-based, Canadian filmmakers Chris Sheridan and Patty Kim.

“Abduction” has been gathering steam since its debut at the Slamdance Film Festival in January, where it sold out both its screenings, earned rave reviews and won the Documentary Audience Award. This would prove to be a sign of things to come as “Abduction” made the US film festival rounds, winning kudos in Omaha, Dallas, San Francisco and Toronto’s Hot Docs. Japanese media has followed the film closely of course, but US press has also taken note, with the film garnering coverage on CNN, NPR, the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal.

The interest in “Abduction” hit a fever pitch during last week’s prestigious DocuWeek, held in Los Angeles. Before the festival even began, “Abduction” was greeted with a fantastic review in the Los Angeles Times, which likened it to the films of Ozu and called it “the most haunting and sadly relevant” of the docs on offer. It went on to praise the filmmakers’ “poetic sense of how the missing can dominate our lives in a way they might not have had they never vanished.”

All the weekend shows in LA sold out with about 1500 people seeing the film over seven days. (Roughly half of the audience were Asian-Americans say the directors.) On Sunday, Akie Abe attended the screening, prompting Japanese media to descend upon the Arclight theatres, located on historic Sunset Boulevard. Ms. Abe—who saw the film with her husband, Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe, at a special screening in Tokyo in June—has become “a firm supporter of the film,” says co-director Kim. Also on hand was GAGA’s Tom Yoda, who announced plans to release the film theatrically in Japan on November 25.

Aside from building awareness for the film, DocuWeek fills another important role. It qualifies “Abduction” for Oscar eligibility, and an Academy Award nomination would certainly ensure the abduction issue reaches a wider stage. Roco Films’ Annie Roney, who is handling foreign sales on “Abduction,” credits DocuWeek with helping “these small independent documentaries that don’t necessarily have the marketing money behind them to jump through the hoops that the Oscars has set out for eligibility.”

All this attention has caught Sheridan, 37, and Kim, 36, a little off-guard. The husband-wife filmmaking team has been making documentaries for years for American and Canadian television and “Abduction” is not their first foray into international territory. But while the story of Megumi Yokota, and other Japanese citizens who were abducted by Kim Jong-Il’s regime may be old news to the Japanese public, Sheridan and Kim, like most Americans had never heard of the case. That is, till they came across a 2002 Washington Post article about Prime Minister Koizumi’s first visit to North Korea.

“When we read that one of the victims was a 13-year-old girl, we were even more shocked,” recounts co-director Sheridan. By the time they started making the film in 2004, Megumi’s saga involved international politics, espionage and diplomatic negotiations but what attracted the filmmakers was a more simple drama: Megumi’s parents’ 29-year quest to find their daughter. “We never intended to make a political film,” Sheridan adds. “Our first instinct was to make a film about this family.”

They started shooting the film in July 2004 and over the next year they would make three trips to Japan, ultimately spending two-and-a-half months there. The majority of “Abduction” is comprised of the hundred hours of footage they shot, but a big assist came from FujiTV, which allowed Sheridan and Kim use of its archival footage. “We met with a FujiTV anchor in 2005 and I guess we said the right things,” recalls Sheridan. The filmmakers also used footage shot before 2004 by Japanese independent filmmaker Kazuo Inagawa. The filmmakers used their credit cards to pay for the film, though Sheridan says they were “literally down to our last dollar” when they sent a rough cut of the first half-hour to Nick Fraser of the BBC. Fraser, a major player in the world of non-fiction film, immediately got on board and provided the funds needed to finish the film.

Given Sheridan and Kim’s bent towards people, not politics, it should come as no surprise that “Abduction” is not a political call to action, but rather the gentle, humanistic story of a family’s loss. The first third of the film plays almost like a ghost story as it cuts between Megumi’s parents’ recollections and archival footage. Most striking is the juxtaposition of Megumi’s mother, Sakie, being interviewed in 2005 and her 1977 appearance on Japanese television where she makes a desperate plea for her daughter’s return. It is in that moment, that you truly realize how long the Yakotas have lived with the uncertainty, pain and above all, the sadness of what happened.

Even as the film shifts gears and becomes more mysterious and suspenseful, Sheridan and Kim are steadfast in their commitment to making sure their story is not simply told, but felt. When the North Koreans finally admit to abducting thirteen Japanese citizens and agree to release five of them, we hold our breath along with Megumi’s parents as they wait to find out Megumi’s fate. Like Megumi’s parents and the film’s Teruaki Masumoto—whose sister, Rumiko was abducted and who, in one of the film’s more engaging sections, runs for political office—“Abduction” becomes a piece of political activism almost despite itself.

But perhaps most importantly, the film is connecting with audiences, Japanese and non-Japanese alike. Fran, in Sedona, Arizona posted the following on the film’s website: “As a mother and grandmother, I experienced the overwhelming angst felt by Megumi's mother—there can be no greater loss than having a child simply disappear.”

Sheridan estimates that around eight thousand people have seen “Abduction.” That number should grow exponentially as the filmmakers prepare a US theatrical release and GAGA readies the Japanese bow. Other countries, such as Israel and South Korea, have also shown keen interest, though the film has not yet been officially made available due to Oscar restrictions. This worldwide attention has surprised the filmmakers. “We had no strategy in place because we didn’t expect the response to be so huge,” says Sheridan, claiming the film was “definitely made for a Western audience.” That however, is no small feat, says Izumi Asano, who founded the US-based ReACH (Rescuing Abductees Center for Hope) after hearing of the documentary: “I want American people to become aware of the issue, especially because I think Japan alone cannot solve the problem.”

ABDUCTION SIGNS DEAL WITH JAPANESE DISTRIBUTOR

2006-08-24T08:06:00.000-07:00

“ABDUCTION” FILM TO BE RELEASED IN JAPAN
Japanese title will be “MEGUMI: A Family Tore Apart for 30 Years”

For immediate release
10/22/06

Washington, DC The producers of an award-winning documentary about a Japanese girl kidnapped by North Korean spies announced today they’ve reached a deal with a distributor to bring the film to Japan. Safari Media, the film’s production company, signed a distribution deal last week with Gaga Communications Inc. for rights to ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story. Gaga has acquired theatrical, Internet, DVD and other rights for the Japanese market. The film will be re-titled MEGUMI : A Family Tore Apart for 30 Years for its Japanese release. Gaga plans to open the film theatrically in November in Tokyo where the general public will finally be able to see it.
“Safari Media is very pleased to be working in conjunction with Gaga Communications to distribute this film in Japan,” said Chris Sheridan, who, along with his wife, Patty Kim, directed and produced ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story. “We hope this will help the families of the abductees and allow the Japanese people to understand this very personal, very tragic story.”
ABDUCTION tells the story of Megumi Yokota, a 13-year-old Japanese girl kidnapped by North Korean spies in 1977. The documentary follows her parents’ 30-year struggle to try to bring her home. The film opened at the Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, USA this year winning the Audience Award for Best Documentary. It has since gone on to win other awards as well as receive critical praise from respected newspapers and magazines like Variety which called the film, “exceptional.” The Los Angeles Times recently raved that the film is a work of “narrative mastery”.
Public interest in Japan in the film has been incredibly high. Gaga Communications saw the film in Park City and decided to acquire the rights. "This is a very strong, thought-provoking and moving film,” said Tom Yoda, chairman of Gaga. “We are very happy to distribute this film to Japanese audiences all over Japan.” Gaga Communications Inc. is one of Japan’s largest and most respected distributors. Their documentary films include Cannes-Award-winner FAHRENHEIT 911 and Sundance Award-winner RIZE.
ABDUCTION is produced by Safari Media in association with the BBC with the assistance of Fuji TV.
The Executive Producer of ABDUCTION is Oscar-award winning director Jane Campion.

For more info on ABDUCTION, please visit www.abductionfilm.com
For Gaga Communications Inc., contact Kei Ishikawa at ishikawa@gagaamerica.com
For media inquiries, please contact Yuko Kawabe at kawabe3jp@yahoo.co.jp

WHAT A WEEK!!

2006-08-23T06:54:00.000-07:00

Finally back from LA after showing our film at the ArcLight Theatres in Hollywood. Sunday night was a madhouse with a packed audience, a ton of Japanese press and the future First Lady of Japan, Mrs. Akie Abe, on hand. We were very honored to have Mrs. Abe there. She saw the film in June in Tokyo and loved it. She's now a firm supporter of it and wants as many people to see it as possible...a pretty good person to have on your side when you're trying to promote your film. Sunday was also really special because our good friends Kathy and Amy Eldon were there to see the film for the first time. Their "Creative Visions Foundation" helped us during the making of the film but, more importantly, Kathy and Amy are the whole reason we went out and made the film in the first place. We credited them with that fact in the film. See www.creativevisions.org if you're interested in their movement to support "media that matters" and to learn more about them. A couple of the producers from "Quinceanera" showed up too which was great. "Quinceanera" was the Sundance Film Festival winner this year and is now in theatres if you want to see an excellent film.
We were also joined by Tom Yoda, Chairman of Gaga Communications Inc, one of Japan's largest film distributors. He was there to show his support and to be on hand for our official announcement that we've now signed a deal in Japan with Gaga. The film will open in theatres there in November. We are so excited and honored that Gaga has taken the film. We hope Japanese people will show their support for it and the families of the abductees by going to see it (see the press release on this blog).

A GREAT START IN LA

2006-08-18T01:44:00.000-07:00

Here is what the Los Angeles Times had to say about ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story...

But perhaps the most haunting and sadly relevant of this subset of docs exploring festering psychic wounds is the extraordinary "Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story," from Chris Sheridan and Patty Kim. The story it tells is a shattering mystery of violation and loss, if only because by the end, certain answers only lead to more punishing questions.

It starts in spine-tingling detective saga fashion with the disappearance of a 13-year-old Japanese girl in 1977 but suddenly turns into an espionage tale when it's determined that the choir-singing, beach-loving Megumi was one of multiple kidnappings at the hands of North Korean spies. And when the abductees' loved ones — including Megumi's resolute, loving parents, who became national celebrities — begin to protest their country's efforts to normalize relations with Kim Jong Il, a true-crime tale of heartbreak adopts a searing political dimension, ultimately becoming a timeless exploration of the incompatibilities of personal anguish and diplomatic reality. Then there's the question of how a tragedy such as this alters and reshapes the bonds of familial love. All this is rendered with not only narrative mastery but also an exquisitely photographic and aural sense of humanity and place, of memory and the present, with lingering interstitial shots of Japan's natural beauty and its modern metropolises that play as if Ozu had directed a sobering "Frontline" report.

Perhaps it's no wonder the ghostly ache of "Abduction" — the filmmakers' poetic sense of how the missing can dominate our lives in a way they might not have had they never vanished — captured the eye of one of modern cinema's most resonant chroniclers of souls in transition: Jane Campion, who joined the project as an executive producer.

ABDUCTION IN HOLLYWOOD!

2006-08-17T10:38:00.000-07:00

Arrived in Los Angeles this week in advance of the Hollywood opening. The airline lost our bags so we were forced to wear the same clothes for 24 hours. But we're back on track now and ready to bring ABDUCTION to new audiences here in LA. Akie Abe, the woman who is considered to be the next First Lady of Japan, will be attending the screening on Sunday (her husband, Shinzo Abe, is expected to win the election to succeed Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in September). The Japanese media has been calling us non-stop in advance of her trip. It's a pretty big deal that she'll be there. Other guests will include the Consul General of Japan in Los Angeles as well as Kathy and Amy Eldon, the dynamic duo who inspired us to go out and make the film in the first place. Their tireless work on behalf of so many dispossessed people such as the children caught in the crossfire of the brutal civil war in Uganda and their continued efforts to make a film about their son and brother Dan has given us so much energy and hope.
Make sure you tell your friends in LA to come out and see this film! See the showtimes just below this blog...We will be at the first four shows.
In other news, the Asian Film Festival of Dallas emailed us last week to let us know we won the award for Best Documentary. This is number five for the film and very exciting.

HOLLYWOOD DATES!!

2006-07-25T05:35:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone...

Here are the details for the Hollywood screenings. We'll be at the first four shows. Come say hi if you're there.

ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story
ArcLight Cinemas
Hollywood, CA
www.arclightcinemas.com
tickets: 1-323-464-4226

Friday, August 18, 1:30pm
Saturday, August 19, 3:15pm
Sunday, August, 20, 5:30pm
Monday, August, 21, 8pm
Tuesday, August, 22, 10:15pm
Wednesday, August 23, 10am
Thursday, August 24, 11:45am

TELL YOUR FRIENDS IN NEW ZEALAND!

2006-07-14T08:26:00.000-07:00

Hi folks,

The film's screening in Auckland and Wellington, New Zealand over the next three weeks. Here are the details and an article on the film published in a national newspaper...

Auckland, New Zealand
Academy Cinemas
July 16, noon
July 22, 2:30pm

Wellington, New Zealand
Te Papa Theatre
July 29, 11:45am
August 6, 11:30am.

FROM THE DOMINION POST, NEW ZEALAND'S LARGEST NEWSPAPER...

Abduction doco to screen at fest
15 July 2006

A Japanese teenager was abducted by North Korean spies when walking home from school in 1977. Jennifer Colwill talks to the directors of the documentary Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story screening at the New Zealand Film Festival.

In the 1970s Japanese citizens, including 13-year-old Megumi Yokota, were abducted to North Korea to help train spies during the Cold War.

American husband and wife filmmakers Chris Sheridan and Patty Kim have created a chilling documentary piecing together Megumi's disappearance and her parents' subsequent 30-year search.

Sheridan first heard about the abductions when Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi made his first ever visit to North Korea in 2002, to find out what had happened to the abductees.

Kim is of Korean heritage, so is "interested in things that go on in that part of the world", but that is not why the couple is drawn to the story.

She said it was an incredible espionage tale, wrapped around a love story.

"It's the personal tragedy being played out against the very large, dramatic political landscape."

Megumi was big sister to twin brothers. Her mother was a housewife, her father a banker.

"These people were just like you and me and that especially comes through when you look at their family photos and see them on vacation and at the beach ... and go `that could have been my family'," Kim said.

Megumi's parents are still ordinary people, but they have a different profile now as they took their campaign to the streets of Japan in search of answers to Megumi's disappearance.

They have become household names in Japan.

"They didn't want to, but were forced to because of the incredible situation they had been thrust into," Kim said.

It was many years before they discovered the truth: Megumi had been snatched by North Korean spies, taken to their country by boat, scratching off her fingernails in an attempt to escape.

About 75 percent of the film is from Kim and Sheridan's exclusive footage, and 25 percent is from archives.

The couple made three visits to Japan and used a Japanese interpreter to interview subjects.

Neither Kim nor Sheridan speaks Japanese and there were some barriers to filming the Yokotas in their home.

"The thing about Japanese society is that it's very closed, it's very conservative and private life is not something they particularly enjoy showing to the rest of the world, or their colleagues or friends," Sheridan said.

"We had to slowly and very politely coax them into allowing us to show them as real people. In Japan, they are so well known that they have press conferences and events all the time, so they're always in public, so that's the easy stuff. The difficult stuff was allowing these foreigners to come and peek into their lives, behind the curtain."

The film also trails the fate and families of other abductees who were snatched from Japanese beaches and streets.

The directors chose not to have an English narrator because they wanted the characters to tell their own stories.

Sheridan believes the abductions are not widely known outside of Japan.

"We present it to audiences like this is the first time people are going to hear about this."

Whenever an audience hears the story, it is positive for the families, who want their plights known outside of Japan, he said.

Kim said their goal was to tell a compelling human story, but also to enlighten people.

"In a nutshell this issue has gotten so big in Japan that the Japanese decided `hey, we need to resolve this and we need to get some answers about the fates of these people who were abducted'," she said.

"So every time those big powerful nations, Russia, China, South Korea, United States, get together and talk to North Korea and try to convince North Korea to drop their nuclear weapons programme, Japan uses that opportunity to say ... `don't you owe us some answers about our abducted people?' That puts North Korea in a bad mood and stalls nuclear talks.

"That affects the discussions that everybody is having, then North Korea continues on its merry way."

The story is particularly timely, with North Korea featuring heavily in the news media after it fired long-range missiles last week.

The directors said the story would ultimately affect New Zealand because of its status as an international player.

The most important thing people could do, if they wanted to help, was to raise awareness, Kim said.

"I think that public knowledge of this story has to come first."

Megumi's parents demonstrated this with their lives, she said.

"Nothing happened until they took it out onto the streets ... until they were blue in the face ... and that grassroots demonstration finally got the attention of the rest of the nation, which then forced the government to act."

New Zealander Jane Campion, best known for directing The Piano which won three Academy Awards, is the film's executive producer.

Kim met Campion about 15 years ago and they kept in touch.

When the couple's documentary developed and they wanted some guidance, they called Campion.

"We showed her a teeny, teeny bit of footage and the little she saw, she fell in love with," Kim said.

They showed her more snippets and eventually she took on the role as executive producer, based in Sydney, while the couple edited the film in Washington.

"Jane is obviously a tremendous filmmaker in her own right but she made an excellent executive producer. She was able to see the story very, very clearly and she has a very light touch."

Kim said she felt very grateful because Campion was often approached by other filmmakers and it was rare for her to get involved with other people's projects.

Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story screens in Auckland, Academy Cinemas, July 16, noon; July 22, 2.30pm; and in Wellington, Te Papa, July 29, 11.45am; August 6, 11.30am.

HOLLYWOOD HERE WE COME!

2006-07-13T16:57:00.000-07:00

FROM SAFARI MEDIA:

“ABDUCTION” OPENS IN HOLLYWOOD
FILM GOES AFTER ACADEMY AWARD

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

7/12/06

Washington, DC A film that tells the powerful true story of a Japanese girl kidnapped by North Korean spies will be released in theatres next month, starting in Hollywood, California. “ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story”, directed by the husband/wife team of Chris Sheridan and Patty Kim, will begin its theatrical run at the ArcLight Cinemas and will play for one week from August 18-24. The opening in Hollywood is part of a campaign to help the film qualify for an Academy Award.
“This is great not just for the film but for the families whom this story is based on,” said Sheridan. “Hopefully, the Hollywood screenings will bring even more attention to the families and the abduction issue itself.”
“ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story” is a documentary about 13-year-old Megumi who was abducted from Japan and taken to North Korea. Using rarely-seen archival footage and incredible access to her family, the filmmakers bring to life the riveting story of her parents’ 30-year struggle to bring her home.
The film opened at the Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, Utah in January and went on to win the Audience Award for Best Documentary. It has since gone on to win other top honors as well as win over audiences who’ve packed theatres to see it across the US, Canada and Australia. Critics across the board have praised ‘ABDUCTION” calling it, “Exceptional!” (Variety), “Gut-wrenching!” (Sydney Morning Herald) and “Engrossing!” (San Francisco Chronicle).
The Hollywood Premiere in August will be part of the International Documentary Association’s “DocuWeek” program which highlights some of the best documentaries from this year. The program helps those films qualify for Academy Award consideration.
The Executive Producer of “ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story” is Jane Campion, the Oscar-winning director of “The Piano”.
The film is produced in association with the BBC.

For more info, go to www.abductionfilm.com
For media inquiries, contact Yuko Kawabe at kawabe3jp@yahoo.co.jp
For more info on DocuWeek, go to www.documentary.org

PHOTOS FROM TOKYO OPENING

2006-07-11T07:38:00.000-07:00

Go to this site for some photos from our Tokyo screening...

http://channels.netscape.com/celebrity/photosearch.jsp?cap=Nicolette+Sheridan

ABDUCTION DIRECTORS ON CNN'S "INSIGHT"

2006-07-11T07:18:00.000-07:00

June 28, 2006

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MANN (voice-over): For decades, Megumi Yokota's parents hoped someone would pay attention to their daughter's disappearance. Now the case has gotten nationwide attention in Japan and is even the subject of a new documentary by two American filmmakers.

"I am extremely grateful that this move has been made," Sakie Yokota said. "It's of great importance that people come to the realization that such a thing has actually happened."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(on camera): Welcome back.

Even after Kim Young-nam was reunited with his family, he said nothing publicly about Megumi Yokota, the mother of his child. He is expected to hold a news conference Thursday, but in the meantime there is no further word on her fate.

We got in touch with the filmmakers, Patty Kim and Christopher Sheridan, to talk about the movie, "Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATTY KIM, FILMMAKER: When we first heard about the story a few years ago, back in 2002, I was sitting at my desk. I was a correspondent for "National Geographic" and one day I happened to pick up the paper and read this really incredible story about the fact that the Japanese prime minister had gone to North Korea for the first time and North Korea had admitted at that meeting that its secret agents had abducted Japanese citizens back in the '70s and '80s. And I just thought, oh, my gosh, this is just such a remarkable story. We were totally hooked, right from the start.

MANN: And how do you make a movie about someone who has disappeared?

CHRISTOPHER SHERIDAN, FILMMAKER: Well, that's a good question. I mean, obviously, the main character in our film doesn't actually appear in the film, but you definitely get a sense of who she is and what kind of personality she has.

I think largely through the people, her family, the people who are living in Japan and can talk about who she is and what she was like when she was living with them. So I think that that really helps. That's what this story is about, is about the attempt to try to bring her home and just bring in this person very much alive.

MANN: How much detective work were you able to do? Or were you just hitting a stonewall in your own attempt to figure out what happened to her?

SHERIDAN: Well, I think the main goal we had was not to actually do an investigative or political or historical work. Our goal was to actually create something that was more of a narrative, a classic narrative, and do a story that people could easily understand.

A lot of what we tell in this film is very well known. It's public information. It's not stuff that we had to dig up. It wasn't difficult for us to divulge.

I think the most revealing parts of the film were actually the intimate, private things that we got from Megumi's family and from some of the other people who have had their relatives abducted.

So I think a lot of the film is more an expose of what this family has been through for the last 30 years as opposed to exposing sort of the investigative side of things.

MANN: It's inconceivable, I mean, it's hard to imagine what they have been through. How would you describe the process they went through from the day she disappeared, say, until today, when they have an official account that they don't entirely trust?

SHERIDAN: It's absolutely unbelievable, and the most common reaction we get in the United States, and not just in the United States, in Australia and Canada and other places where we've shown it, even here in Japan, is how come I didn't known this story? How can this happen and we don't know about it? That's what many people say to us.

And it's one of those stories, as Patty mentioned earlier, that if you took this to a Hollywood producer, they wouldn't believe you. They couldn't believe that this could possibly happen in real life, but it really did.

KIM: We've had mothers come up to us after screenings and say to us, you know, I can imagine no greater angst than having my child simply disappear one day out of the blue with no explanation. And to think that that's exactly what happened to these people, but it didn't last for one year or two years or three years. It lasted for two decades, this sense of open, unending anguish. They had no closure at all. They had no clue what had happened to their child.

And I think that people can relate to it on a very every day level. You know, sometimes you're shopping in the supermarket, you've got your kid with you, and your kid just happens to walk down, you know, the next aisle over and you use them for half a second, and you just get that momentary oh, my God, where did he go. And imagine that multiplied, you know, to the umpteenth.

And, you know, I just think that their grief and their loss is something so tremendous and so deep that most of us can't understand that part of it, but we can identify with them and their journey to sort of find out the truth and heal.

MANN: You put it very well, and you express it in very personal terms, but could you say the same things in bigger political terms? This is half of the Korean Peninsula that was essentially grabbed and taken hostage by this strange, brutal and secretive regime.

SHERIDAN: Well, there is no issue that this has become the biggest political issue in Japan, for sure. And certainly one of the biggest political issues in Asia. It's a major stumbling block to getting North Korea to come to the negotiating table for, you know, to talk about its nuclear weapons program or alleged nuclear weapons program.

It's a problem that many people don't know about but are affected by. And what I mean by that is even though in the United States and other countries we don't hear about this issue so much, it's the one thing that can really put North Korea in a bad mood very quickly.

And, yeah, we did do a very personal story. We did the story about what happened to a simple Japanese family in November of 1977, but this has become a major international crisis and it could lead to bigger and worse things if it is not resolved in a good amount of time.

MANN: Let me ask you more about that, because the families involved feel that their personal problem has become political in the sense that they're not getting enough support from their government, whether in Japan or South Korea. They feel, many of them, because it politicizes the situation so much and they just want their loved ones back.

As you were following this one particular case, did you get a sense that the government of Japan was really doing all it could for the family?

KIM: I think that there was, in the early years, when this family, Megumi Yokota's mother and father, first found out that there was a possibility that their daughter had been abducted by spies and abducted to North Korea, when they approached the Japanese government, I think early on the Japanese government was definitely giving them very cool kind of response, the cold shoulder, if you will. And for many years after that not much was done.

But now things have definitely changed and this ordinary couple, this banker and this housewife, have transformed public opinion in Japan. They've raised their story to such an awareness, you know, that it forced the government to take action, and now the government basically is working side by side with these families, it seems, to try to resolve the matter as quickly as possible.

So things have really taken a turn, and it's all because ordinary mothers and fathers step forward, stood out on the streets, handed out pamphlets and said my son or my daughter has been snatched away by secret agents of a foreign country, please help me out. And from that grassroots movement, awareness grew. So it's quite amazing.

SHERIDAN: And many people feel the current prime minister, Junichiro Koizumi, has not done enough, even though he has done a lot to try to make peace with North Korea to a certain extent and to try to do more for these families. But the next person who they believe will step in as prime minister, his name is Mr. Shinzo Abe, has a lot of support from the families and many families believe that he is going to push this issue even further with the North Koreans.

MANN: Patty Kim, Christopher Sheridan, thank you so much for talking with us.

SHERIDAN: Thank you. Thanks for having us.

KIM: Thanks, Jonathan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JAPAN PRESS

2006-06-30T05:04:00.000-07:00

This is from the Mainichi newspaper in Tokyo...

6/28/06

Film depicting the abduction of Megumi Yokota shown in Tokyo

A film depicting the abduction of Megumi Yokota by North Korea and her family's life was shown on Tuesday night in Tokyo in a preview.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe and members of a group of abductees' families and an organization supporting them were present at the preview. The schedule for showing the film to the general public has not yet been determined, organizers said.
The film titled, "Abduction," which was produced by a couple living in Washington, depicts the life of Yokota's family from the time when she was abducted up to now. It quotes former North Korean spies.
Yokota's father, 73-year-old Shigeru, hailed the movie. "It was well produced. It's perfect."
Her mother, Sakie, 70, also said the film showed the sadness of her life. "I couldn't stop shedding tears as I thought she led such a sad life." (Mainichi)

OUR FIRST JAPANESE SCREENING

2006-06-30T03:47:00.000-07:00

Hi all. It's been a very interesting week -- probably our most interesting yet. For the first time, we showed the film in Tokyo to the families of the victims of the abductions. On Tuesday, we walked into Tokyo FM Hall across the street from the Imperial Palace and faced a sea of cameras, print reporters and eager family members waiting to finally see the film that has made their story so public in the United States. About 300 people jammed the hall to see the film. Those people not only included Megumi's family but also members of Japanese high society and some of the highest officials in the Japanese government, most notably a man named Shinzo Abe, who is the frontrunner to succeed Mr. Junichiro Koizumi as Japan's next Prime Minister. We met Mr. Abe briefly in a private room before the screening. He, like the families, was eager to see this film finally come to Japan. The night began with a press conference where we were put in the rather surreal position of being in front of the cameras instead of behind them. For the first time, we stood on a stage with Megumi's parents answering questions about their story. But the real test, of course, came when the whole audience sat down to finally see the film. We both stood at the back of the room a little nervous at what the families might think of seeing their very personal story so public. As we suspected, the Japanese audience watched politely and reacted at nearly the same points in the film as American audiences. There were some parts that elicited dead silence whereas Americans, Australians and Canadians have erupted in laughter or gasps of outright shock or disgust. I won't tell you where those parts are in case you haven't seen the film. But overall, the reaction was more or less the same as everyone else -- very emotional, which is unusual for a Japanese audience that generally tries to keep its emotions in check. Even though many Japanese people know this story very well, many of them told us later they'd never seen the story told this way before. Afterwards, the Yokota family answered questions with us about their experience watching the film but also their general experience living through the abduction of their child. Both of Megumi's parents were happy with the film and made a personal plea to distributors to put it in theaters and get out to as many outlets as possible. Megumi's Mom began to tear-up as she told the audience that the film brought up all the painful memories of the past 30 years and reminded her what a terrible situation they'd been thrust into. The cameras swarmed us as we thanked Megumi's parents for allowing us to show the film in Tokyo. Many family members came up to us and thanked us personally afterwards. It was, without a doubt, one of the most moving nights of our lives. Whatever the outcome of this film, that night alone shall go down as a one of our most memorable. Our thanks to Todd Rohal, who documented the whole thing for us on camera. Todd's first foray into Japanese society couldn't have been more intense.

AUSTRALIA RADIO INTERVIEW

2006-06-22T07:58:00.000-07:00

This is our radio interview with Phillip Adams, one of Australia's most well-known radio personalities.

http://www.abc.net.au/rn/latenightlive/stories/2006/1667364.htm

"ABDUCTION" SIGNS WITH ROCO FILMS

2006-06-21T22:28:00.000-07:00

June 21, 2006

For Immediate Release

Washington, DC Following the success at several high-profile festivals and a growing international interest in "ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story", Safari Media has signed a deal with Roco Films, a California-based distributor and sales representative for documentaries. Roco Films will be ABDUCTION's official representative outside of the United States. Annie Roney, the founder and head of Roco Films, saw ABDUCTION in January at the Slamdance Film Festival and loved it. "As a foreign distributor of award-winning theatrical documentaries, we look for fresh narratives that illuminate an issue, or part of the world, while at the same time transcend the borders in which they are told," said Roney. "ABDUCTION encompasses all those things. I was particularly touched by the intimate access and refreshing glimpse into one extraordinary Japanese family."
Roney is a highly-praised distributor of documentary films whose incredible work ethic and reputation for representing good stories has won her the admiration of the top buyers and filmmakers in the industry. Her films include the Oscar-winning film "Born Into Brothels" and the Oscar-nominated "Street Fight" and "The Weather Underground."
"We met Annie at Slamdance," said Chris Sheridan, who along with his wife, Patty Kim, directed and produced ABDUCTION. "I could tell right away she was the right fit for this film. She loved the story and knew what it would take to get TV networks and distributors interested in it."
ABDUCTION tells the story of Megumi Yokota, a 13-year-old Japanese girl kidnapped by North Korean spies. The film follows her parents' emotional journey to try to bring her home. The film's Executive Producer is Jane Campion, the Oscar-winning director of THE PIANO.
ABDUCTION is produced in association with the BBC.

For more info on Roco Films, visit www.rocofilms.com
For more info on "ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story", visit www.abductionfilm.com

SYDNEY SENSATION!!

2006-06-21T22:02:00.000-07:00

WOW!! That's about all we can say about Australia's premiere festival -- the Sydney Film Festival. We just got back from a very long round trip to the land down under. The film's in competition at the festival and we can now put the Sydney audiences at the top of our list as the best so far. The response was so moving for us and really affected us a lot. The film opened on Saturday, June 17 at the State Theatre, an amazing old venue that recalls a time when going to the movies was a big deal. The decor is part Victorian opera house/part early 20th-century kitsch. One person remarked it felt like being inside Prince's brain. The theatre holds 2000 people and we were completely shocked when about 1500 people showed up on opening night. But the most exciting part was the fact that Jane Campion, our Executive Producer (a Kiwi by birth but a longtime resident of Australia) joined us on stage at the end of the opening night. It was the first time that all three of us (Chris, Patty and Jane) had been together to show the film. It was also the first time Jane had seen the film on the big screen and with an audience. She was absolutely moved and could barely speak when she got up to answer questions at the end. Aussies poured their hearts out in our guest books for Megumi's family. Others, unable to sign the book because of the long lines, left letters for the family or sent emails the next day. The second screening proved to be more proof of the incredible hearts of the Australian people. Another 1000 + audience and a lively Q&A afterwards. We could only stand back in awe. The festival itself was an extremely well-organized affair with every detail taken care of and every need looked after. Thank you Sydney for making our first foray into your country an extremely memorable one! Off to Japan next to show the families, the Japanese government and the Japanese media the film. This wil, no doubt, be our toughest audience yet.

BACK FROM ATLANTA/NEXT STOP SYDNEY

2006-06-12T23:51:00.000-07:00

We're back from the Atlanta Film Festival -- another successful outing. The festival director, Jake Jacobsen, was one of the first directors (after Slamdance) to contact us and tell us he really wanted the film. He's been a big supporter after he saw it in Park City in January. The Atlanta opening night was packed with an audience that kept us answering questions for well over an hour after the screening. The screening was at the Landmark Midtown Art Theatre, located in a very hip area of Atlanta. Locals tell me they show the best arthouse films in the city and there are some great restaurants in the neighborhood, including this absolutely out-of-this-world good Vietnamese restaurant called "Nam". Someone reported that Matthew Perry (of FRIENDS fame) was in the audience the first night although I didn't personally spot him. Two friends sat behind him. The second screening on Monday was excellent with another enthusiastic response during the Q&A. Some of the most beautiful things written so far in our message book to Megumi's family were written following our Atlanta screenings. It's those gestures that really move us and make us realize the effect this film's having on people. We told the audience that we'd be bringing those messages directly to the Yokota family in a couple of weeks when we see them during our private screening for the families of the abductees, the government and media. But first, it's off to Sydney, Australia tomorrow for our opening in the land down under. Hopefully, Aussies won't be too wrapped up in World Cup fever (the Australian team beat Japan yesterday for their first-ever World Cup win) to come out to the film. It'll be the first time we show it with Jane Campion present which will be an absolute thrill for us. We'll keep you posted.

Atlanta Film Festival

2006-06-11T17:48:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since we wrote to let you know what's going on. We're off to Atlanta today to kick off a crazy tour that will end in Japan. The Atlanta Film Festival started last night and we're off to a great start considering the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (the biggest paper there) picked ABDUCTION as one of its three favorites at the festival. Not a bad beginning. The film's been nominated in the festival's BEST DOCUMENTARY category. We'll arrive there tonight and will be at Sunday and Monday's screenings. Then we're off to Sydney, Australia where we'll show the film for the first time in that country. Jane Campion will be with us so it'll be very special. After a day and a half back in Washington, DC, we'll be off to Japan to show ABDUCTION for the first time in Tokyo. It's an invite-only affair with an impressive guest list that will include high-ranking government officials, cabinet ministers, celebrities and, of course, dozens of family members of people who've been kidnapped by North Korea, including the Yokota family. We'll try to do our best and keep you updated on how things are going. In the meantime, be sure to tell anyone you know about the Atlanta screenings:

ATLANTA FILM FESTIVAL
Atlanta, GA
Sunday, June 11, 7pm
Monday, June 12, 3pm
Landmark Midtown Art
www.atlantafilmfestival.com

ABDUCTION IN NEW ZEALAND!

2006-06-09T15:42:00.000-07:00

The New Zealand Film Festival has accepted ABDUCTION for its 2006 documentary program. The film will be playing in Auckland and Wellington in July and August. We'll give more details as the dates approach.

ABDUCTION COMING TO TOKYO!

2006-06-08T09:22:00.000-07:00

ABDUCTION FILM COMING TO TOKYO
FAMILIES/GOVERNMENT GET PRIVATE SCREENING

For Immediate Release
06/07/06

Washington, DC An award-winning film that’s made headlines in Japan and captured the attention of audiences and critics across North America will make its debut in Tokyo this month. “ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story” will be screened for the
Yokota family and other families of people kidnapped by North Korea, government officials, and the Japanese media on June 27th in the prestigious Tokyo FM Hall. The highly-anticipated event will be the first time the film has been shown in Japan.
“We’ve had an overwhelming demand from the Japanese public and the Japanese government to show this film in Tokyo,” said Chris Sheridan, who, with his wife Patty Kim, directed and produced the film. “The Japanese government and media are very eager to see this film shown in Japan and we decided we needed to bring it to them.”
The film documents the story of Megumi Yokota, a 13-year-old Japanese girl kidnapped by North Korean spies. The feature-length documentary follows her parents’ 30-year struggle to bring her home.
The film’s premiere at the Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, Utah caused a media sensation, drawing nearly every major Japanese newspaper, TV and radio station to flock to its opening, overwhelming festival organizers. It also garnered excellent reviews from Variety and the Los Angeles Times, both of which praised the film. “ABDUCTION” went on to win the festival’s prestigious Audience Award for Best Documentary and has received critical praise from every reviewer to date. It has won three more awards since Slamdance and screened to sold out audiences across the country. The film continues to travel across North America and will make its Australian debut on June 17, at the
State Theatre (a 2,000 seat venue), as part of the Sydney Film Festival, the largest film event in the country.
This month’s event will be the first time that the main subjects, the Yokota family, along with other families, watch “ABDUCTION”. Sheridan and Kim will travel to Tokyo to attend the private invitation-only screening. At the moment, the June 27th event is the only scheduled screening of the film. “ABDUCTION” is not yet available to the general public.
Jane Campion, the Oscar-winning director of “The Piano”, is the film’s Executive Producer.
“ABDUCTION” is produced in association with the BBC, with the assistance of Fuji TV.

For media inquiries in the US, please contact Yuko Kawabe at safarimedia@yahoo.com
For media inquiries in Tokyo, please contact Kazoku-Kai.
For more information on the film, see www.safarimedia.net

ABDUCTION COMING TO SYDNEY!

2006-06-06T09:38:00.000-07:00

FROM THE SYDNEY FILM FESTIVAL WEBSITE:

Jane Campion Documentary Confirmed for the Festival
May 11, 2006

Following the exciting news that the directors of ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story will be interviewed on CNN’s American Morning at 11pm Sydney time today, it is announced today that the award-winning documentary ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story, executive produced by Oscar-winning director Jane Campion, is confirmed as part of the 53rd Sydney Film Festival.

Lynden Barber, Artistic Director of Sydney Film Festival comments “ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story is one of the most moving documentaries I have seen in recent years. We are honoured to be able to bring this amazing story to Sydney audiences in June.”

The directors Chris Sheridan and Patty Kim will be on the CNN’s American Morning at 11pm (Sydney time) to talk about the documentary, which documents the true story of a 13-year-old Japanese girl kidnapped by North Korean spies.

“We’re hoping the CNN interview will help open up the discussion in America about the abduction issue,” said director, Chris Sheridan. “Many Americans have never heard about the abductions but now we’ve been given a huge opportunity to tell it to hundreds of thousands of them.”

Sydney Film Festival is thrilled to announce that Chris Sheridan and Patty Kim are also confirmed as guests of the festival and will be present, along with Executive Producer Jane Campion at the screenings on June 17 and 18 2006 in Sydney.

ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story follows the family of Megumi Yokota, who disappeared on her way home from school in 1977. For decades, her parents had no idea what had happened to her until the whole world found out the shocking truth. During a historic meeting between Japan and North Korea, the North Koreans admitted their spies kidnapped Megumi and 12 others. But the story doesn’t end there. ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story is a moving portrayal of what parents will do for their child as Megumi’s family fight every imaginable force to bring her home.

The CNN interview follows hearings on Capitol Hill, Washington D.C, by a Japanese delegation regarding the abduction of Japanese citizens by North Korea. Among those testifying is Sakie Yokota, Megumi’s mother.
Celebrating its 53rd year, Sydney Film Festival will showcase the world’s best feature films, documentary, short fiction, short animation and more at its major annual event which runs from June 9 – June 25 2006. The Festival’s full program will be launched on May 11 and available in The Sydney Morning Herald as an insert on May 15.
Back to Top

BALTIMORE AND CAL RIPKEN

2006-05-16T07:47:00.000-07:00

Back from Baltimore and another great screening. The Maryland Film Festival was a well-organized, well-attended event with audiences that show the kind of sophisticated viewing habits that people normally associate with NY or LA. The weekend began with a trip to Camden Yards to see a Baltimore Orioles game. The festival told us that Cal Ripken Jr., the legendary Orioles player widely considered one of the best who ever played, had donated seats to the festival. Little did we know as we got our tickets and entered the stadium that they were actually "his" tickets. The first row directly behind home plate. We went with a bunch of filmmakers from the festival and all of us had that look of shock as the usher took us down to the seats. Our thanks to Kelly and Cal Ripken for a memorable night and their support of independent film! Oh yeah, the Orioles won 6-5 which made it even better.
Our screening went well, too. Members of the Washington, DC group ReACH showed up to back the film and talk directly with people who watched it. ReACH was started last summer by Izumi Asano, a Japanese man whose cousin disappeared in 1974. His family believes he was abducted by North Korea. His support for the film and his untiring commitment to raising awareness of the abductions in the United States is inspiring. It is always helpful to us when people directly affected by this issue are able to talk to the audience.
We dedicated the Baltimore screening to a family friend who passed away last Friday. Cecilia Jacobs was a mother and grandmother who, like the people in the film, cared deeply about her children. She passed away after a long battle with cancer. She will be missed by all of us.

NEXT STOP BALTIMORE!

2006-05-08T21:02:00.000-07:00

Don't forget we'll be in Baltimore this weekend (May 13th):

ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story
Saturday, May 13, 12:30pm
Falvey Hall
Baltimore, Maryland
www.mdfilmfest.com
tickets: 410-752-8083

Don't worry DC people. We're on our way soon!

TORONTO SENSATION!!

2006-05-03T06:23:00.000-07:00

It's now official...Toronto is the best city on the planet! On Saturday night, at the largest documentary film festival in North America, hundreds of people jammed a 850-seat theater in Toronto to see ABDUCTION. The film is part of the International Showcase section of the Hot Docs International Film Festival. We managed to get some good press from Canada's Globe and Mail, NOW magazine and Eye Weekly, three of Canada's most important papers. We also had a story in the Toronto Star about Megumi and the abductions and got an interview on CBC Newsworld. The tickets sold out well before the first show and many people were turned away. What a sensational night for the film! About 60 family and friends showed up to lend their support and gave Patty and I a huge whoop when we took the stage to introduce the film. What a great homecoming for us but an even better night for the abduction issue as many Canadians are now part of the growing number of people who know about this story. Our second screening on Monday sold out well in advance making Toronto our best outing yet in terms of numbers and overall interest in the film. Among the audience members were Jan Wong, the daring Globe and Mail correspondent whose book "Red China Blues" was a sensation in Canada. Mark Kelly also showed up, the CBC correspondent whose hard work and good looks have made him one of Canada's most watched TV correspondents. Our friend and former colleague Dennis Trudeau, who anchored the CBC News in Montreal for many years and is now enjoying life away from the camera, also made it to the opening night. Thank you Toronto for making our experience at Hot Docs one of the best so far!

MEGUMI'S MOM AND PRESIDENT BUSH

2006-05-03T06:15:00.000-07:00

We are happy to report that Megumi's Mom met with President George W. Bush last Friday. She was in Washington, DC with a Japanese delegation that was testifying before Congress about the abductions. The week was very successful culminating with the meeting at the White House which is a huge deal considering that it is the first time a US President has met with any relatives of the abductees. The momentum continues to grow in the search for answers.

DIRECTORS ON CNN

2006-04-27T06:29:00.000-07:00

“ABDUCTION” DIRECTORS GO LIVE ON CNN
ISSUE WILL GET BIGGEST AUDIENCE YET

For Immediate Release
April 27, 2006

Washington, DC The abduction of Japanese citizens by North Korea will get its biggest American audience to date when the directors of a new documentary on the subject appear live on CNN’s “American Morning” on Friday, April 28th at 9am. Chris Sheridan and Patty Kim are scheduled to be on the show and will talk about the film “ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story,” the award-winning documentary about a 13-year-old Japanese girl kidnapped by North Korean spies. The film opened in January and has received three awards and rave reviews from critics.
“We’re hoping the CNN interview will help open up the discussion in America about the abduction issue,” said Sheridan. “Many Americans have never heard about the abductions but now we’ve been given a huge opportunity to tell it to hundreds of thousands of them.”
The producers of the show, which gets about half a million viewers every day, called the film’s directors on Wednesday requesting the interview. The interview will follow hearings on Capitol Hill by a Japanese delegation regarding the abduction of Japanese citizens by North Korea. Among those testifying is Sakie Yokota, Megumi’s mother.
Sheridan and Kim will do Friday’s interview from a studio in Toronto, Canada. They will be in Toronto attending the Hot Docs International Film Festival, the largest documentary film festival in North America.
The Executive Producer of “ABDUCTION” is Oscar-winning director Jane Campion. The film is produced in association with the BBC.

For more info on the film, go to www.safarimedia.net

For more info on CNN’s American Morning: http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/american.morning/

BACK FROM BOSTON/ON TO TORONTO

2006-04-26T06:19:00.000-07:00

We're back from Boston and have a couple of days before we take off to Toronto for the Hot Docs International Documentary Film Festival. What a great experience in Boston! Teruaki Masumoto and Kenichi Ichikawa joined us for both screenings at the Independent Film Festival of Boston. Masumoto's sister and Ichikawa's brother were on a date at the beach in 1978 when they were both abducted by North Korean spies. To have Masumoto and Ichikawa at the screening was such an emotional moment for both Patty and I. And to make it better, the packed audience on opening night gave them a standing ovation which was one of the most moving moments of our festival experience. Both question-and-answer periods went on forever and continued into the hallways afterwards. Masumoto and Ichikawa are in the US along with a delegation that includes Megumi's mother. They had a demo in DC and got some press last week in the Washington Post. They will testify Thursday before Congress and help bring the story of the abductions to the American people and policymakers. Next stop for us is Toronto. Here are the screening times:

Saturday, April 29th, 6:30pm
Bloor Cinema

Monday, May 1, 9:45pm
Al Green Theatre

www.hotdocs.ca

NEXT STOP BOSTON!!

2006-04-17T06:25:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder that the Independent Film Festival of Boston approaches this weekend...

ABDUCTION Screening Times

Saturday, April 22
8:30pm
Somerville Theater

Sunday, April 23
12pm
Coolidge Corner Theatre

www.iffboston.org

"Stunning!" - The Phoenix (Boston)

ABDUCTEES' RELATIVES JOIN FILMMAKERS IN BOSTON

2006-04-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 6, 2006

Washington, DC Relatives of people abducted by North Korea will be the featured guests of “ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story” in Boston during two screenings of the film. Teruaki Masumoto and Kenichi Ichikawa will be present during the film’s Boston Premiere for a question-and-answer period afterwards. The film will be shown as part of the Independent Film Festival of Boston and will compete for the top prize.
“We’re really excited to have them join us,” said Chris Sheridan, who along with his wife Patty Kim, directed the award-winning documentary film. “Having the relatives there after the film makes the experience of the abductions so much more real to Americans.”
“ABDUCTION” is a 85-minute documentary film that tells the story of Megumi Yokota, a 13-year-old Japanese girl kidnapped by North Korean spies. The film follows her parents’ emotional decades-long quest to bring her home. Yokota was one of 13 Japanese people that North Korea admitted to kidnapping.
Masumoto is the secretary general of the Association of the Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea. His sister Rumiko was taken in August, 1978 in Kagoshima. Kenichi Ichikawa’s brother, Shuichi, was dating Rumiko at the time and was kidnapped with her. They were on a date at the beach when it happened. Their story is told, in part, in “ABDUCTION”.
Both Masumoto and Ichikawa will be in the United States as part of a Japanese delegation that will testify before Congress on the abductions the week after the Boston screenings. Those screenings will take place on Saturday, April 22, 8:30pm, at Somerville Theater and Sunday, April 23, 12pm, at Coolidge Corner Theater.
“ABDUCTION” is produced in association with the BBC. Jane Campion, the Oscar-winning director of “THE PIANO,” is the Executive Producer.

For more info on the film, visit www.safarimedia.net
For more info on the festival, visit www.iffboston.org

NPR Radio Interview

2006-03-29T13:19:00.000-08:00

NPR will be airing an interview with us soon. We'll keep you posted. In the meantime, here's a comment from the NPR reviewer...

It's hard to stop watching Abduction not just because it unfolds with all the nailbiting tension of a mystery, crackling with international intrigue. The courage of Megumi Yokota's family, making their private pain so painfully public, makes the film glow with love. And that is the point of entry for anyone into this riveting documentary.

sandip
-NPR affiliate in San Francisco

ABDUCTION WINS TWO MORE!!

2006-03-27T20:22:00.000-08:00

“ABDUCTION” WINS TWO MORE AWARDS
THREE FOR JANE-CAMPION-PRODUCED FILM

Washington, DC A film documenting the kidnapping of a 13-year-old Japanese girl by North Korean spies picked up two more awards bringing the film’s total to three. “ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story” took home the Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, the largest festival of its kind in North America, and the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the Omaha Film Festival.
The San Francisco award was announced at the closing night ceremonies on Thursday, March 23rd while the Audience Award in Omaha was announced Sunday, March 26th. “We’re totally thrilled,” said Chris Sheridan who directed “ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story” along with his wife Patty Kim. “You couldn’t get two more different cities yet we had a fantastic audience response in both proving this film plays well in big cities and in the heartland.” Added Kim, “The story simply touches people no matter where they're from.”
The awards mark the second and third ones for the film. After the premiere at the Slamdance Film Festival in January, the film won the Audience Award for Best Documentary. “ABDUCTION” follows Megumi’s parents as they battle to bring her home after learning the truth about her disappearance. Jane Campion, the Oscar-winning director of “THE PIANO”, is the film’s Executive Producer. The film’s played to sold-out audiences in every city so far, receiving rave reviews from critics. Cleveland’s Plain Dealer made “ABDUCTION” one of the top five films to see at the Cleveland International Film Festival while the San Francisco Chronicle called the film “affecting”.
“ABDUCTION” now travels to the Independent Film Festival of Boston where it will open on Saturday, April 22 and then the Hot Docs Film Festival in Toronto, the largest documentary film event in North America, where it will make its Canadian debut on Saturday, April 29.

For more info visit www.safarimedia.net
For press inquiries, please contact Yuko Kawabe at 1-703-350-3616

For the Independent Film Festival of Boston visit www.iffboston.org
For Hot Docs info visit www.hotdocs.ca

CLEVELAND PODCAST

2006-03-24T14:12:00.000-08:00

Check out our interview with the Cleveland Film Society. You can listen to it on this website...

http://cfspodcast.org/

You need to scroll down a little to find it but it's there.

MORE FROM SAN FRANCISCO

2006-03-23T13:47:00.000-08:00

Dear Patty & Chris,

I attended last night's premiere of Abduction at the SF Asian American Film Fest. I thought you guys did a great job portraying the anguish and persistence of the families. I lived in Japan from 01-04, and I remember what a huge deal this was. Anyway, I decided to check out the Japan Times online version this morning, and found a rather gruesome story about related to the abuction issue:

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20060322a4.html

As well, I didn't get to sign the book for the families last night and would like to write a letter of support to the Yokota's.

Thanks for making this film!
Kris

ANOTHER GOOD NIGHT IN SAN FRANCISCO!

2006-03-22T09:27:00.000-08:00

Morning here and the sun has finally come out after days of rain and clouds in San Francisco. We had our screening last night at the Kabuki Theater. The tickets were sold out days in advance and it was a standing-room only crowd. A fantastic audience that was totally engaged in the story. It was also probably our most diverse crowd yet...not just ethnic diversity but a real range in ages which is always super encouraging to us. Eric, one of the producers from "Eve and The Fire Horse" (www.eveandthefirehorse.com), a Sundance award-winning film, was there. We were really honored and excited when our friends Roko and Adrian Belic showed up. These two dynamic men were the filmmakers behind the fantastic documentary "Genghis Blues" that won all kinds of awards and was nominated for an Oscar. Our friend John Wood also came out to support us and hosted a party afterwards that went into the wee hours. John started "Room to Read" (www.roomtoread.org), a non-profit organization that helps build schools and libraries all over the world. John left a fancy job at Microsoft to do that, which has always been a huge inspiration to us. A great outing in San Francisco! This morning I got this email from an audience member at the SF screening...

"This is a very powerful movie. My wife and I were extremely impressed, all the more so because we’ve spent so much time dealing with Japanese and Korean issues throughout our lives. (She leads a much more interesting life than I do, but hey...) The next time you’re in San Francisco, please allow a fellow Quebecois to buy you dinner.

Again, much kudos for a magnificent film."

--David

RAVE REVIEWS IN CLEVELAND!

2006-03-18T05:33:00.000-08:00

Morning...

We're in Cleveland and spent yesterday trying to weave through the St. Patrick's Day crowds on our way to our opening at the Cleveland International Film Festival right in the heart of the city. The Cleveland newspaper picked ABDUCTION as one of the top five films to see at the festival. The review is below. The screening went well and a lot of tears and anger afterwards. Probably one of our most engaged crowds yet. One woman left the theater unable to speak to us because she was so moved by the whole experience. We only wish the Yokotas could see these people and how they're reacting. Non-Japanese crowds are really responding to the story with a lot of emotion. One man left saying he would write Japan's Prime Minister a personal letter asking him why more can't be done for these families...

FROM THE PLAIN DEALER (Ohio's largest newspaper)

Answers create more questions in mystery over disappearance
Friday, March 17, 2006
Clint O'Connor
Plain Dealer Film Critic
A 13-year-old girl heads off to school and is never heard from again.

The nightmare every parent dreads hit the Yokota family Nov. 15, 1977, when Megumi disappeared from Niigata, Japan. Her parents and younger brothers mourned her loss but didn't know what happened. Was she kidnapped? Raped? Beaten?

Finally, after much digging by journalists and information from a defector, the mystery had some answers: North Korean spies had abducted not just Megumi but 12 others, mostly young Japanese couples. They were used as test studies for spies who would later pose as Japanese citizens on various global missions.

The Yokotas waited 20 years for any information about their missing daughter and would have to wait seven more for anything remotely definitive. Was Megumi still alive? Would they see her again?

Filmmakers Patty Kim and Chris Sheridan spent years pulling together the pieces of the Megumi puzzle. The result is a provocative documentary with surprise twists and an insightful glimpse of Japanese-North Korean relations.

Megumi's parents never abandon their quest for truth. Her mom finds comfort in the Book of Job. "God can take anything away from you at any time. It's tragic," she says. "But it's what you do with the sadness that matters."

CLEVELAND/SAN FRANCISCO/OMAHA

2006-03-15T08:56:00.000-08:00

Remember to let your friends, families, colleagues know about the screenings this weekend and next week in Cleveland, San Francisco and Omaha. Here are the dates...

CLEVELAND, OHIO
Cleveland International Film Festival
Friday, March 17, 2:45pm
Saturday, March 18, 4:15pm
Tower City Cinemas
Tickets: 1-866-865-FILM
www.clevelandfilm.org

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA
San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival
Tuesday, March 21, 6:45pm
Kabuki 8 Theaters
Tickets: 1-415-865-1588
www.asianamericanfilmfestival.org

OMAHA, NB
Omaha Film Festival
Saturday, March 25 at 11:00am
Blue Barn Theatre
www.omahafilmfestival.org
Tickets: 1-402-203-8173

San Francisco review

2006-03-13T07:53:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,

Gearing up for Cleveland and San Francisco this week. Please remember to tell you friends and family (Cleveland, Friday March 17 2:45pm, Saturday March 18th 4:15pm at the Tower City Cinemas...San Francisco, Tuesday March 21, 6:45pm, Kabuki 8 Theaters). In advance of the March 21st showing of ABDUCTION at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, we got this review...

FROM THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE ONLINE:

Unfortunately, your correspondent did not see many of what looks like an intriguing slate of documentaries at this festival, but two worthy of mention deal poignantly with North Korea. Chris Sheridan and Patty Kim's "Abduction" is about Megumi Yokota, a 13-year-old schoolgirl who disappeared while on her way to school in 1977. Her family gave her up for dead until 2002, when North Korea admitted that Megumi was one of 13 Japanese citizens abducted to teach Japanese language and culture to North Korean spies. Her family's persistence and determination in their search for Megumi is the heart of this affecting film.
(Tue., March 21, 6:45 p.m.; Kabuki 9 Theatres)

MORE SEDONA VIEWERS

2006-03-03T13:59:00.000-08:00

Dear Patty and Chris,
After viewing ABDUCTION at the Sedona Film Festival, I want you know how much this documentary touched my heart! Congratulations on creating such a fine documentary. You have captured a parent's grief dealing with a life long quest to find their beautiful daughter, Megumi. The struggle that all of the families depicted in your film have endured is heartbreaking and reminds us how cruel it is to keep any innocent human against his or her will. As a mother, I can identify with the sheer frustration and agony that each family member has had to endure these many years.
Thank you for telling this important story. I am wearing Megumi's pin in honor of all of you who fight the good fight!
Good luck on getting this important message out to the World!
Susie
Sedona, AZ

I met you guys at the sedona film festival, and was happy to talk to you for a bit about your movie. I gotta say, it was amazing. Very few movies move me in a way that this one did, and I'll admit it was the first one to make me cry. That says a lot because I'm not the crying type. I'm currently a college student at Arizona State University and just wanted to know if there was anything I could do on campus to get the word out on these horrible attrocities. Sadly, I've talked to various people about this movie and none of them knew about the abductions by North Korea. Maybe they don't follow the news, or maybe it's just not really being reported much in the U.S. Whatever the case, great movie, and I hope as many people as possible see this film
Sam

SEDONA VIEWER COMMENTS

2006-02-28T09:33:00.000-08:00

Hi again...

We received this email today, one day after returning from the Sedona International Film Festival. This woman attended the sold-out show on Saturday and this is what she wrote us...

As a mother and grandmother, I experienced the overwhelming angst felt by Megumi's mother--there can be no greater loss than having a child simply disappear. No doubt, she felt nothing but guilt for the longest time and castigated herself daily with the "if only" syndrome. Mrs. Yokota was simply raising her three children with great hopes and expectations for their futures, knowing that her strong love and daily concern for their welfare would bring the desired results. There was no way for her to prepare for the horror which so suddenly turned her world upside down.

Mrs. Yokota must know that all mothers feel her pain and know the horrendous price she has paid over the years, although she was absolutely free of blame--there is evil in this world and good people are not always capable of confronting it because they seldom recognize it until after the fact.

The impact on the entire family is staggering--they have lived a "cause" rather than a life . What makes it more frustrating is the fact that the North Koreans prefer to cover up their evil, even when presented with facts, rather than expose those guilty of this heinous act.

Mrs. Yokota has hopefully had some assurance that Megumi has at least had a home and family, food and shelter over the years, even though she had no freedom to return to her real homeland.

Again, Patty, you have done a splendid job of presenting this heartwrenching story of one family's fight against evil. The Yokotas need to give themselves permission to live now and enjoy their grandchildren before poor health renders that an impossibility.

Fran
Sedona, Arizona

SEDONA FILM FESTIVAL

2006-02-26T08:54:00.000-08:00

Hi folks...I'm writing to you from beautiful Sedona, Arizona. It is absolutely gorgeous here! We arrived Thursday night after a long trip and had our first screening Friday morning at 8:15am. Woke up to an orange sun and the red rocks that surround the town. You'd think 8:15 would be way too early for a film screening (especially during the week) but the theaters were packed. We had a great audience and a very enthusiastic Q&A afterwards. There are a lot of questions raised by this film and people wanted to know as many answers as they could get. The Sedona crowd is amazing. They are mostly retired or close-to-retirement age and they love to come out and support the events in their community. The support for the Sedona festival is enormous. It feels like the whole town comes. This is what film festivals should be like and other festival organizers will hopefully notice this...it's a festival put on for the people who live here. Our second screening on Saturday afternoon was sold out and was followed by a very lively Q&A. For the first time, a North Korean sympathizer stood up and began to accuse us of being biased against North Korea. We have prepared for this for a long time so we began to discuss all the issues that concern many Korean people about the history between Japan and North Korea. But to our absolute surprise and shock, many members of the audience began to defend the film erupting into an intense and interesting debate about the politics in the region. This is very good and it's what we hope would happen. Dialogue, even in the form of debate, is always good. We expect this will happen as we continue on the film festival circuit where there are more diverse populations with differing points of view. We're back on Monday and won't be at the next festival until Cleveland on March 18th. Hope to see some of you there!