Behind the Monster Bunnies Giant Rabbits Hit the Big Screen


By Michael Scott Moore in Berlin

A German pensioner who made headlines last year for breeding giant rabbits -- and selling a batch to North Korea with the idea of easing hunger -- is the subject of a short documentary by an American director in the the 2008 Berlin Film Festival. Director Julius Onah made the five-minute film -- a clip can be seen by clicking on the video below -- after reading about Karl Szmolinsky on SPIEGEL ONLINE. And in doing so, he learned that the rabbits may have been eaten by North Korean functionaries instead of the starving people for whom they were intended.


Szmolinsky grew up in East Germany, and he agreed to help. He sold a dozen to the North Koreans at a cut rate -- 80 euros instead of the going rate of 200 or 250 euros -- and told SPIEGEL ONLINE in early 2007 that the 12 rabbits could produce 60 babies a year. Each animal, he estimated, would feed about eight people. "They'll be used to help feed the population," he said at the time. "I've sent them 12 rabbits so far; they're in a petting zoo for now. I'll be travelling to North Korea in April to advise them on how to set up a breeding farm. A delegation was here and I've already given them a book of tips."


"We actually didn't spend that much time talking about the rabbits," said Onah. "We spent most of our time talking about conditions in East Germany, both before and after the fall of the Wall." But concerned strangers had started complaining to Szmolinsky for sending live animals to North Korea, where animal-rights standards aren't up to snuff.

The resulting short, called "Szmolinsky," concentrates on the harassing phone calls.

Onah, 25, is a graduate student at New York University's film school and he made "Szmolinsky" to fulfill a class assignment. The film is evocative but not detailed; Onah spent a total of four hours with Szmolinsky and only later learned what became of his project to feed North Korea.


Meanwhile the South Korean government has contacted Szmolinsky. "The South Koreans would like him to send his rabbits there," said Onah, "and they sent this letter which even apologized for the behavior of their neighbors in the north."

Szmolinsky himself attended the Berlinale premiere of the film with one of his giant rabbits on February 8. Onah said he might make a longer film about the story, given funding and time -- he's interested in the parallels between a divided Cold-War Germany and a divided Korean peninsula -- but right now other projects are crowding his schedule.


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