After a dramatic escape, Polaris, a 17-year-old refugee from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, finds herself in a South Korean adaptation centre where she can share her life story with other refugees. Polaris is charismatic and talented, her story is moving and attracts the interest of those around her and the media. She goes back in her memories to her childhood and adolescence in North Korea. As she comes to grips with the reality of hypermodern Seoul, disturbing events from her past begin to surface and haunt her. Is she really who she claims to be? In a totalitarian state she has always followed the will of the Party, but in a free society she must take responsibility for her actions. Gradually, Polaris realises that if she wants to succeed in the South, she will first have to face herself.
The Northern Star is a feature-length animated film based on documentary interviews with refugees from the DPRK recorded by Czech koreanist Nina Špitálníková in her bestselling books „Testimony of Life in the DPRK“ and „Polaris”.
The development of the film was supported by the National Recovery Plan through the Creative Vouchers program and is funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU. This support enables to create the first version of the film script.
