A documentary portraying the kidnapping of 13-year-old Megumi Yokota by North Korean agents has picked up two more awards in the United States.
"Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story," directed by Chris Sheridan and his wife, Patty Kim, earned the Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival and the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the Omaha Film Festival.
The Jury Prize winners at the 24th annual San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, one of the largest festivals of its kind in North America, were announced at the closing ceremonies Thursday, while the Audience Award at the Omaha Film Festival in Nebraska, which just started this year, was presented Sunday.
"We're totally thrilled," Sheridan said. "You couldn't get two more different cities, yet we had a fantastic audience response in both, proving this film plays well in big cities and in the heartland."
"The story simply touches people no matter where they're from," Kim said.
The awards mark the second and third accolades for the film. At the Slamdance Festival in January in Park City, Utah, the film took home the Audience Sparky Award for Best Documentary.
The 85-minute film follows the story of Yokota, who vanished on her way to school in 1977, and her family's struggle to bring her back. Pyongyang claims she is dead.