South Korean films continue to set box-office records across Asia and win laurels in international film festivals. Meanwhile, little attention is given to the cinema from the other half of the peninsula. From May 12 to 14, 2008, three films from the DPRK’s canon will be screened as a special presentation in the Classic Movie Night series.
The films—Hong Gil Dong, Bellflower, and My Look in the Distant Future—have been rarely seen outside the former Eastern Bloc. Cinema in the DPRK is an original expression of social realism and a primary vehicle for conveying state ideology. Even so, the tales—of peasant farmers struggling against feudal lords, anti-Japanese resistance fighters, and ordinary citizens loyal to their hometowns—are also told with genuine artistry.
6:00 PM Opening Reception for the Series
Introduction by Professor Charles Armstrong, Director, Center for Korean Research, Columbia University
Classic Movie Night continues to the themes of critical realism in Korea on Thursday, May 15th with The Ball Shot by a Midget.
Monday, May 12 - Wednesday, May 14, 2008 | 6:00 PM
The Korea Society
950 Third Ave., 8th Floor
New York, NY 10022
Admission:
$7 Members / $12 Non-members
All three movies: $18 Members / $30 Non-members
For more information, please contact Yuni Cho at (212) 759-7525, ext. 323 or email.
| Monday, May 12 | 6:30 HONG KIL DONG |
| Tuesday, May 13 | 6:30 BELLFLOWER |
| Wednesday, May 14 | 6:30 MY LOOK IN THE DISTANT FUTURE |
HONG KIL DONG (104 min) 1986
홍길동
Monday, May 12 | 6:30 PM
Directed by Kim Kil-in
Starring Ri Yong-ho, Ri Gwon and Ri Ri-youn
Mixing Hong Kong-style kung fu with a socialist ethos, the Robin Hood-esque Hong Kil Dong took the Bulgarian box office by storm in the late 1980s. Forever barred from privilege, the eponymous protagonist-the illegitimate son of a nobleman-wanders Korea helping farmers fend off feudal exploitation. But when Korea is invaded by Japanese ninja, he must unite with his perennial enemies to defend the fatherland.
BELLFLOWER (83 min) 1987
도라지꽃
Tuesday, May 13 | 6:30 PM
Directed by Jo Kyong-sun
Starring O Mi-ran, Kim Ryong-jo, Song Yon-ok and Kim Hye-son
As the most popular North Korean production of the 1980s, Bellflower earned lead actress O Mi-ran the honorific title "People's Actor." O's character, Jin Song Rim, strives to turn her humble mountain hometown of Pyokgye-ri into a model socialist village. Released when the economic foundations of the DPRK were starting to tremble, Bellflower praises the spirit of workers who accept their roles and work for the betterment of the nation.
MY LOOK IN THE DISTANT FUTURE (102 min) 1997
먼 후날의 나의 모습
Wednesday, May 14 | 6:30 PM
Directed by Jang In-hak
Starring Kim Myong-mun and Kim Hye-gyong
Reeling from famine in the mid-1990s, North Korea mobilized tens of thousands of urban residents for emergency agricultural work in the countryside. My Look in the Distant Future depicts that dire period with an optimistic gloss. Sent to the countryside, a young, urban loafer finds inspiration in a stalwart village leader and decides to become a model worker.