Children of the Revolution (2010 film)
Encyclopedia
Children of the Revolution is a 2010 documentary by Irish filmmaker Shane O'Sullivan
about Ulrike Meinhof
and Fusako Shigenobu
, leaders of the German Red Army Faction
and the Japanese Red Army
.
Inspired by the student revolutions of 1968 and appalled by the killing in Vietnam, Meinhof and Shigenobu set out to destroy capitalist power through world revolution. They travelled to the Middle East to train with Palestinian freedom fighters and, alongside Leila Khaled
, became the leading female revolutionaries of their time.
Authors and journalists Bettina Röhl and Mei Shigenobu
explore the lives of their mothers, Ulrike and Fusako, providing a unique perspective on two of the most notorious “terrorists” in contemporary history. On the run or kidnapped when their mothers went underground, May and Bettina emerged from difficult childhoods to lead their own extraordinary lives. With capitalism once more in crisis, they reflect on their mother's actions as the film asks: what were they fighting for and what have we learned?
Shot in Tokyo, Beirut, Jordan and Germany, the film tells the stories of Meinhof and Shigenobu through the eyes of May and Bettina, using rare archive footage of student protests and guerilla training camps in Germany, Japan and the Middle East.
The film premiered at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam in November 2010 and has screened at several international festivals. It had its broadcast premiere on German channel Westdeutscher Rundfunk on May 30, 2011 and will be released on DVD in the United Kingdom in September 2011.
Shane O'Sullivan (filmmaker)
Shane O'Sullivan is an Irish writer and filmmaker, based in London. He is best known for his work on the assassination of Robert Kennedy. His feature documentary is the first theatrical documentary on the case since Ted Charach's The Second Gun twenty-five years ago. His book on the case, Who...
about Ulrike Meinhof
Ulrike Meinhof
Ulrike Marie Meinhof was a German left-wing militant. She co-founded the Red Army Faction in 1970 after having previously worked as a journalist for the monthly left-wing magazine Konkret. She was arrested in 1972, and eventually charged with numerous murders and the formation of a criminal...
and Fusako Shigenobu
Fusako Shigenobu
is the founder and former leader of the now disbanded Japanese Red Army.-Early life:Shigenobu was born on September 28, 1945 in the Setagaya Ward of Tokyo...
, leaders of the German Red Army Faction
Red Army Faction
The radicalized were, like many in the New Left, influenced by:* Sociological developments, pressure within the educational system in and outside Europe and the U.S...
and the Japanese Red Army
Japanese Red Army
The was a Communist terrorist group founded by Fusako Shigenobu early in 1971 in Lebanon. It sometimes called itself Arab-JRA after the Lod airport massacre...
.
Inspired by the student revolutions of 1968 and appalled by the killing in Vietnam, Meinhof and Shigenobu set out to destroy capitalist power through world revolution. They travelled to the Middle East to train with Palestinian freedom fighters and, alongside Leila Khaled
Leila Khaled
Leila Khaled is a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine . She is currently a member of the Palestinian National Council...
, became the leading female revolutionaries of their time.
Authors and journalists Bettina Röhl and Mei Shigenobu
Mei Shigenobu
is the daughter of Japanese Red Army communist Fusako Shigenobu and of a Palestinian guerilla fighter who was reportedly the head of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Some news agencies have given her name as May Shigenobu.-Early life:...
explore the lives of their mothers, Ulrike and Fusako, providing a unique perspective on two of the most notorious “terrorists” in contemporary history. On the run or kidnapped when their mothers went underground, May and Bettina emerged from difficult childhoods to lead their own extraordinary lives. With capitalism once more in crisis, they reflect on their mother's actions as the film asks: what were they fighting for and what have we learned?
Shot in Tokyo, Beirut, Jordan and Germany, the film tells the stories of Meinhof and Shigenobu through the eyes of May and Bettina, using rare archive footage of student protests and guerilla training camps in Germany, Japan and the Middle East.
The film premiered at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam in November 2010 and has screened at several international festivals. It had its broadcast premiere on German channel Westdeutscher Rundfunk on May 30, 2011 and will be released on DVD in the United Kingdom in September 2011.