Join us for a screening of the documentary film BEYOND UTOPIA, winner of the Audience Award for US Documentary Features at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. BEYOND UTOPIA is a suspenseful look at the lengths people will go to gain freedom. It follows various individuals as they attempt to flee North Korea, one of the most oppressive places on earth. At the film’s core are a mother desperate to reunite with the child she was forced to leave behind; a family of five - including small children and an elderly grandmother - embarking on a treacherous journey across the Yalu River and into the hostine mountains of China; and a man of God on a mission to help these desperate souls. Gripping, visceral, and urgent, Madeleine Gavin’s film embers the viewers with these family members as they attempt their perilous escape, palpably conveying life-or-death stakes. After the film, stay for a Q&A with Executive Producer Sue Mi Terry and human rights advocate and North Korean defector Seohyun Lee, moderated by policy program officer Chelsie Alexandre.
The screening is free, but we encourage $20 donations to the filmmakers here.
Beyond Utopia: Screening and Q&A with Sue Mi Terry and Seohyun Lee
Thursday, January 4, 2024 | 6 PM (In-Person)
The Korea Society
350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor
New York, NY 10017
About the Speakers:
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Dr. Sue Mi Terry was the Director of the Asia Program and the Hyundai Motor-Korea Foundation Center for Korean History and Public Policy from 2021-2023. Prior to joining the Wilson Center, Dr. Terry served in a range of important policy roles related to both Korea and its surrounding region. Formerly a Senior Fellow with the Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), she served as a Senior Analyst on Korean issues at the CIA (2001-2008), where she produced hundreds of intelligence assessments--including a record number of contributions to the President’s Daily Brief, the Intelligence Community’s most prestigious product. She received numerous awards for her leadership and outstanding mission support, including the CIA Foreign Language award in 2008. From 2008 to 2009, Dr. Terry was the Director for Korea, Japan, and Oceanic Affairs at the National Security Council under both President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama. In that role, she formulated, coordinated, and implemented U.S. government policy on Korea and Japan, as well as Australia, New Zealand, and Oceania. From 2009 to 2010, she was Deputy National Intelligence Officer for East Asia at the National Intelligence Council. She holds a Ph.D. (2001) and an M.A. (1998) in international relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and a B.A. in political science from New York University (1993). She was born in Seoul and raised in Hawaii and Northern Virginia. |
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Seohyun Lee, from Pyongyang, North Korea, is a renowned advocate for human rights in North Korea. Raised in Pyongyang's elite, she experienced a privileged education before her family's defection to South Korea and later the United States in 2016. Seo-Hyun works with HRNK, LiNK, and other NGOs to promote North Korean human rights and inform the global community. Through her YouTube channel “Pyonghattan,” she shares her unique perspectives. She's spoken at TEDx, the UN Security Council, and top universities, and met notable figures like President Bush and Hillary Clinton. Currently, she's a master's student at Columbia, focusing on international affairs. In 2023, recognized as a Korea-Unification Opinion Leader, she continues her advocacy for North Korean people's rights. |