Film Screening and Discussion: Beyond Utopia
Dear Members, Friends and Supporters of the AmerikaHaus,
Together with the Embassy of the Republic of Korea - Bonn Office and the U.S. Consulate General in Duesseldorf, we cordially invite you to:
Beyond UtopiaThursday, June 20, 2024 | 6.30 p.m.
A riveting portrait of the lengths people will go to gain freedom, Beyond Utopia follows several individuals as they attempt to flee North Korea. At the film’s core is a pastor helping a mother in her quest to reunite with the child she was forced to leave behind, and a family of five—including small children and an elderly grandmother—embarking on a treacherous journey into the hostile Changbai Mountains of China and through Southeast Asia. Leaving their homeland is fraught with unimaginable danger, including imprisonment if caught in China, yet the hope of a better life compels these individuals to take the risk.
Beyond Utopia won the Audience Award in the category U.S. Documentary at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for Best Documentary at the 2024 BAFTA Awards.
The screening will be complemented by a discussion with protagonists of the film and distinguished guests:
Dr. Sue Mi Terry is a leading expert on the Korean Peninsula and East Asia. She served as a senior analyst at the CIA, director of Korea, Japan, and Oceanic Affairs at the National Security Council under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, and National Intelligence Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Soyeon Lee fled from North Korea and is one of the protagonists in Beyond Utopia. She advocates for more awareness regarding the situation in North Korea, especially in terms of sex trafficking, refugee journeys, and North Korea's ideological brainwashing.
Seungjae Huh has served as Consul General at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, Bonn Office, since August 2021. After joining the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1992, he has held positions including Director for Protocol and Visits, Director of Northeast Asia Division, Deputy Consul General in Fukuoka, Japan, and Deputy Consul General in Qingdao and Shenyang, China.
Chapman Godbey serves as Consul at the U.S. Consulate General in Duesseldorf. Prior to joining the U.S. Foreign Service, Godbey was a reactor operator, submarine officer, and naval nuclear engineer in the U.S. Navy. As a military diplomat, strategic planner, and attaché in the Navy, he served in several East Asian and Middle Eastern countries
We are looking forward to an insightful evening with you!
Please register here via Eventbrite.
Tickets are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. We kindly ask you to only reserve the number of tickets that you will definitely use.
We cordially thank our partners - the Embassy of the Republic of Korea - Bonn Office and the U.S. Consulate General in Duesseldorf - for their cooperation!
