When Yohan is nine years old, he, his mother and younger sister are forcibly relocated to a notoriously cruel political prison camp in North Korea. His parents are Zainichi Koreans in the 1960s. His innocence is gradually eroded by the harsh brutality of the camp, while the rest of his family tries to maintain their decency and compassion for their fellow humans. Years later, after being devastated by the sudden and tragic loss of a loved one, he begins to reassess the meaning of his life – even as he struggles to survive in the worst imaginable living conditions. After his father disappears and the rest of his family is sent to a notorious political prison camp in North Korea, a young boy must learn to survive the harsh conditions, find meaning in his perilous existence, and maybe even escape.

True North is a 2020 Japanese-Korean animated film directed by Eiji Han Shimizu. Telling the story of a family held captive in a brutal North Korean political prison camp, the film is based on years of research and interviews with former political prisoners who defected to South Korea, the film incorporates elements of the real-life experiences of individuals who endured some of the worst human rights abuses of our time.

The film was screened at the 2020 Annecy International Animation Film Festival, nominated for feature films contrechamp in competition.