The Great North Korean Picture Show
Spent my birthday in Pyongyang. At a film studio. On the set of the next North Korean blockbuster. We’re still trying to process the experience. Everyone was warm and surprisingly open. Yet our shoot was unusually difficult – the entire experience, incredibly trying and energy-sapping. Off to Jakarta today. More on our project there in...
Inspiration For The New Year – The Shoeshiner, The Boda-Boda Rider, And The President’s Shiny New Bikes
I thought I’d end off the year by telling you about Charles Bucumi and Gerard Bukuru. They’re from Burundi and we met them at the Tour of Rwanda. Burundians Charles Bucumi and Gerard Bukuru at the Tour of Rwanda They looked nothing like cyclists. In a sea of skinny, leggy lads, Charles and Gerard stuck...
What Is Invisible To The Eye
The Maestro And His Daughters from Lianain Films on Vimeo. We had the honour of spending an afternoon with a truly amazing family during a recent trip to Bangladesh. Ustad Afzalur Rahman is perhaps the country’s most famous classical musician. A living treasure. A master of the sarod. He’s also blind. Has been since he...
Still Alive
Just buried under a pile of work. A proper post soon, but in the meantime, here’s another photo from Pyongyang. The North Korean Film Studio – 10,000 square feet dedicated to the art of filmmaking, Kim Jong Il-style, of course.
The Pin
When we were in Pyongyang, The Pin was a much coveted souvenir. Everyone wanted one. But they were not available for sale anywhere. Sure, you could quite easily get one of a North Korean flag, or a torch surrounded by patriotic words exalting the victorious motherland. But a pin bearing the Great Leader’s portrait? These...
The Other PIFF
We’re going to North Korea! Aki Ra’s Boys has been invited to the Pyongyang International Film Festival – yes, it’s true, they have a festival there. The last one featured films like Bend it Like Beckham and Cry, the Beloved Country. The Dear Leader, we’re told, loves movies and the festival has been described as...
The Weirdest Kimchi In Kathmandu
Next to the cluster of shops near the Yak & Yeti, there’s a red sign that says Pyongyang Restaurant. Walk up the steps, past the smiling girl in traditional Korean garb, take a deep breath, and prepare for the strangest culinary experience Nepal has to offer. The service is impeccable The waitresses – all barely...
In Case You Were Wondering…
Yes, that’s Bippen up there. And yes, it’s a picture of him adding his own bit of grit to our camera lens.
Freezing But Worth It
This is Chimbulak, reputedly Central Asia’s best ski resort and host of the 2011 Asian Winter Games. Riding on one of those things was great fun. We dangled in the air for 20-something minutes, jumped off at the top, oohed and aahhed over the truly spectacular view, and were about to start on the vodka...
The Green Market
Almaty’s biggest bazaar. So named because the walls are painted green. Sells everything under the sun. Spent the bulk of our time in the food hall sampling berries, caviar and honey. And dodging hardworking security guards, who refused to let us take photos. Those apricots are to die for. Everyone agreed this guy had the...
The Red Carpet
Who says you need to be in Cannes to walk on one? The Kazakh version led us all the way into the Palace of the Republic, for the opening ceremony of the Almaty International Film Festival. Police everywhere. Crowds straining to see. Paparazzi. Everyone went wild when Russian actor, Alexander Mokhov, showed up. The organizers...
