THE LOVERS AND THE DESPOT
Available on Digital HD January 24
THE LOVERS AND THE DESPOT, a poignant tale of kidnapping, loves lost and found again, is arriving on Digital HD January 24 from Magnolia Home Entertainment.
Named an official selection of the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, this touching documentary tells the story of the undying love between a filmmaker and an actress who were kidnapped under the rule of Kim Jong-il in 1950s post-war Korea. THE LOVERS AND THE DESPOT illustrates their time in captivity as they worked to gain the dictator’s trust and quietly plot their escape.
Synopsis: The Lovers and the Despot tells the story of young, ambitious South Korean filmmaker Shin Sang-ok and actress Choi Eun-hee, who met and fell in love in 1950s post-war Korea. In the ‘70s, after reaching the top of Korean society following a string of successful films, Choi was kidnapped in Hong Kong by North Korean agents and taken to meet Kim Jong-il. While searching for Choi, Shin also was kidnapped, and following five years of imprisonment, the couple was reunited in North Korea by the movie-obsessed Kim, who declared them his personal filmmakers. Choi and Shin planned their escape, but not before producing 17 feature films for the dictator and gaining his trust in the process.