Coming to NYC’s Stranger Than Fiction series tomorrow, Tuesday, February 9: ABDUCTION: THE MEGUMI YOKOTA STORY
Chris Sheridan and Patty Kim’s investigation into tale of international kidnapping debuted at Slamdance in 2006, where it won the audience award for best documentary. Other fest screenings included Atlanta, Cleveland, IFF Boston, Sydney, Austin, Hot Docs, Denver, Bangkok, Planete Doc, DocAviv, Thessaloniki Doc, SF Asian American, and IDFA.
In 1977, Megumi, a 13-year-old Japanese schoolgirl vanished without a trace. Her grieving parents sought an explanation, suspecting foul play, but wouldn’t receive confirmation of their suspicions for two decades, when an intrepid investigative journalist uncovers proof that Megumi was part of a series of kidnappings of Japanese citizens by North Korean agents. Sheridan and Kim profile the Yokotas, as well as family members of other abductees, as they search for the truth and try to hold the secretive North Korean government accountable. Along the way, Megumi’s parents face some heartbreaking revelations, only to discover additional layers of subterfuge that leave everything they learn in doubt in this engaging, ever-shifting story of ordinary people caught up in unanticipated international intrigue.
what (not) to doc 