AU BORD DU FLEUVE, SUR LA FRONTIÈRE SINO-CORÉENNE (RETURN TO THE BORDER)

When the director was born in the southern China on the border with North Korea, the two countries were still on friendly terms, actively co-operating across their borders. China established trade relations with capitalist South Koreain the 1990s and North Korea has considered China an enemy ever since.

Travelling along the Ya Lu River that separates the two countries, the filmmaker examines what is left of the socialist dreams on both sides, providing a direct comparison of past and present. We get an insight into the problems China faces as it becomes a global super-economy, whereas for North Korea, survival is the most important issue right now. Across the river, we see footage of the wretched living conditions in North Korea, and their dependence on the black market.

The film shows how similar people with similar destinies can be forced into opposing camps. Taking into consideration the difficulties faced filming in North Korea, Return to the Border provides an invaluable viewpoint.

"I grew up in the town of Dandong, on the lower reaches of the Yalu River, just opposite North Korea. When I was a child, what I knew about this neighbour country on the other side of the frontier river was what I had learnt in the classroom: The North Koreans were our closest friends, we had helped them to defeat the American imperialists, and we were supposed to look on North Korea as a younger brother. This fraternal atmosphere prevailed until the early 90ies. China's policy of reform and opennness was then beginning to produce its first results. Since then, while the vitality of China is clear, when you look at the multitude of tower blocks that are rising up, the landscape of the North Korean bank of the river has stayed exactly as before.' Noja