Hostile Landscapes

Overview

Hostile Landscapes is a two-channel film revolving around the remarkable true story of Ju Hyeongeon (朱贤健/주현건/Zhu Xianjian), a North Korean defector who was imprisoned in Jilin Prison, Northeast China, since 2013, for illegal border-crossing, theft, and robbery. In October 2021, Ju escaped the prison with bare hands and managed to elude local police and authorities for 40 days before he was ultimately captured near the Fengman Dam, a historically significant location with deep Japanese colonial ties.