The Great North Korean Picture Show
North Korea’s film industry is a vital tool in the regime's vast propaganda machinery. Now, for the first time ever, foreign filmmakers have been allowed into the country's only film school - an elite institution where young talents are trained to create works that will not only entertain, but help shape the psyche of an...
North Korea – How It All Began
It started with dinner, a grand affair held at the Yangakdo Hotel back in 2008. The occasion – the opening ceremony of the Pyongyang International Film Festival. Our documentary, “Aki Ra’s Boys” had been invited to participate and we’d jumped at the chance to visit a country that had long fascinated us. Our guide was...
North Korea – Cinema of Dreams
Film school, North Korean-style. Two years in the making, and still a work in progress, this project challenged us in ways we never anticipated. We are grateful for family and friends who stood by us and told us to keep going when we wanted to give up. The TV version (below) premiered on Al Jazeera...
The Great North Korean Picture Show: The Film School
The Pyongyang University of Cinematic and Dramatic Arts. This was where we hung out last week. The university doesn’t look like much from the outside. But gaining admission into this institution is apparently a big deal in North Korea, a stepping stone to one of the most coveted jobs in the country. Every young North...
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...
By Popular Demand – More From Our Shoot In North Korea
Street advert, North Korean style. Misty morning along the Taedong River. The structure in the distance is the Juche Tower, built in 1982 to mark Kim Il-Sung’s birthday. Pyongyang has its own Arc de Triomphe. Apartment block. Young ladies on a school excursion. We had a great time chatting in sign language. At the Korean...
Scenes From Our Shoot In North Korea
And… we’re filming! Her name is Ri Yun Mi. And she wants to be a famous actress. We spent an afternoon hanging out with students from the Pyongyang University of Dramatic and Cinematic Arts. Bright young things. More bright young things. Kim Un Bom comes from a family of film workers. Dad’s a director, Mum,...
Pyongyang, Again
Folks, it’s official. We’re going back to Pyongyang. This time, we’re taking a camera, and lighting kit, and sound gear, and a shooting schedule. That’s right. We’re making a film in North Korea. It’s taken us a year of negotiations to get here. We’re still pinching ourselves. Can’t quite believe it. We leave tomorrow. Back...
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 Pyongyang Metro
When we were in Pyongyang, any occasion that allowed us get up close to ordinary citizens was an event, something to be discussed and analyzed. Imagine the excitement among festival delegates when we were told we were going for a ride on the metro. Down, down we went. The escalators seemed to go on forever....
The Flower Girl
We were seated next to a North Korean superstar and we didn’t realize it. Our translator introduced her as the Famous Actress – Hong Yong-hui. We didn’t understand just how famous until sometime towards the end of the dinner. A stream of fans marched up to say hello, and suddenly we were surrounded by people...
