North Korea Documented
Documentaries on North Korea.
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- DirectorMads BrüggerStarsMads BrüggerSimon Jul JørgensenTommy KenterTwo Danish comedians join the director on a trip to North Korea, where they have been allowed access under the pretext of wanting to perform a vaudeville act.Great and very unique documentary by Danish absurdist Mads Brügger (be sure to check out his other works). He and his avant-garde theater group proposes to the North Koreans to perform in Pyongyang and surprisingly they allow the Danish bunch to come over, including a handicapped boy. Brügger's exploration and testing of the regime delivers not only interesting insights in the acting of the regime but also very entertaining television.
- DirectorMads BrüggerStarsUlrich Løvenskjold LarsenMads BrüggerAlejandro Cao de Benos de Les y PérezA real-life undercover thriller about two ordinary men who embark on an outrageously dangerous ten-year mission to penetrate the world's most secretive and brutal dictatorship: North Korea.Another stunning piece by Mads Brügger, exposing more evidence that the state of North Korea practically is a mafia organization.
- DirectorRaphael WilkingStarsDavid BorensteinAlejandro Cao de Benos de Les y PérezKristian CarterThis Dutch documentary shows a group of Westerners on an organized 12-day tour of North Korea organized by the Korean Friendship Association. It shows various staged events in honor of the group and commentary by the group members throughout. It also shows an incident whereby ABC News journalist Andrew Morse has his hotel room broken into and his videotapes stolen by the leader of the KFA, Spanish citizen Alejandro Cao de Benos de Les y Pérez.Dutch documentary maker Hans van Dijk has the chance to join North Korea's Friendship Association, a North Korea fanclub run by the Spanish Alejandro Cao de Benos who is an official promoter for North Korea. The mixed group of international North Korea-friends commence their trip convinced of North Korean socialism bringing great prosperity to its people, however during the trip they get confronted by a ran down regime which forcibly keeps up appearances and even utilizes the foreign travelers to promote the leadership. Their belief breaks down even stronger when De Benos appears to be another North Korean-style leader of the group.
- DirectorN.C. HeikinStarsYoung Hun ChoiChol-Hwan KangLee ShinNorth Korean defectors tell their stories of repression, escape and hope.Stories of North Korean defectors about their experiences with the brutalities of the regime. Among them a North Korean defector who managed to escape one of the country's highly secured prison camps. Very well made documentary elaborating on the escape route from beginning to end, and on the never ceasing propaganda machine of the country.
- DirectorPieter FleuryStarsHong Soon-huiDocumentary about North KoreaDocumentary makers follow the lives of a family living in Pyongyang. With no narration added, you can make up your own mind on the meaning of the images you see from the North Korean elite city.
- DirectorDaniel GordonStarsDamion CruzzBruce CumingsJames Joseph DresnokA British documentary about US Army defector James Dresnok currently living in North Korea after having defected during the 60s.Documented by the BBC, this is the amazing story of James Dresnock, an American soldier who defected to North Korea during his time as stationed in South Korea. Together with a few other Americans he defected to the North, at the time of making the documentary Dresnock is the only one who still lives his life peacefully in North Korea, together with his family. (He passed away in 2016)
- StarsBob HamerLisa LingGo undercover with National Geographic correspondent Lisa Ling as she journeys into mysterious and reclusive North Korea.North Korea welcomes Sanduk Ruit, a doctor from Laos. With his team he can cure many North Koreans suffering from blindness. The 'miracle doctor', as he is called, is managing to execute about 1000 eye surgeries in 10 days, but the North Koreans thank the Great Leader for the miracle, not the doctor...
- DirectorMatt DworzanczykStarsMatt DworzanczykNorth Korea lies somewhere between a 1930s Soviet Union frozen in time and a dark, futuristic vision of society... as imagined back in the 70s. 'Land of Whispers' invites you to visit arguably the most unique and isolated travel destination in the world - not to criticize, but to observe and listen. Aside from usual highlights such as Pyongyang or Arirang, this unique one-man documentary brings you to areas such as Chongjin or Wonson, still virtually unknown to even Google or Wikipedia. There, the director attempts to pierce through the ever-present 'national mythology' and as much as possible, he tries to connect with people - such as the waitress mesmerized by tablet computers, or a tour guide cautiously fascinated by modern pop culture.Film student traveled to North Korea and was left with a lot of thoughts on what he saw, which he shares along a selection of his footage that he shot during his travel. Result is an originally cut report, free of strong biases or sensationalism. Watch the whole docu on YouTube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oULO3i5Xra0&hd=1
- DirectorDaniel GordonStarsDaniel GordonPaul NicholsonEusébioA BBC documentary producer is given unprecedented access in North Korea to chronicle the story of the famed 1966 World Cup team from the North that advanced to the quarterfinals. The feature includes interviews with surviving members of the team, English fans and soccer pundits who saw the North Koreans upset Italy, 1-0, and go up 3-0 against Portgual before Eusebio eventually rallied the Portugeuse.Great docu on the 1966 national soccer team of North Korea which travelled to the UK to compete in the World Cup for the first time. Nobody thought the team would win any game, but by beating Italy they made it into the quarter finals. Watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Du92VFNxWI&
- DirectorJim ButterworthAaron LubarskyLisa SleethThe gripping documentary exposé into the life and death of North Koreans as they try to escape their homeland and ChinaInsights in how defectors have to manage in China and the international (mostly American) political efforts to support those who want to leave the dictatorship.
- DirectorCarla GarapedianStarsJoe LayburnA documentary about a North Korean that repeatedly goes back into the country with a hidden camera to film the orphans dying of starvation in the streets.Lots of secret shot footage from North Korea, mostly of homeless children looking for food. The film also follows the efforts of a few orphans who undertake the plan to make the dangerous cross of the river to China.
- DirectorRaymond FeddemaPeter TetterooStarsJohn SwieringaThis film, shot mostly covertly, shows a regime where 20 million people live in poverty, some on the brink of starvation, while the former dictator Kim II Sung and his son build extravagant monuments to reflect their power.Won an Emmy for best documentary. You can watch the full documentary here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJ6E3cShcVU
- DirectorDaniel GordonStarsDaniel GordonHyon Sun PakSong Yun KimA British documentary that follows two young North Korean girls as they prepare for the Mass Games, the world's largest choreographed gymnastics performance.Documentary that follows two young North Korean girls as they prepare for the Mass Games, the world's largest choreographed gymnastics performance. Good insight in the iron discipline of the hard training North Korean athletes.
- DirectorHoward BradburnStarsJohn SweeneyA Panorama crew spends 8 days in North Korea, viewing Potemkin Villages and examining indoctrination.Really bad piece of journalism from John Sweeney's Panorama. Lacks on any background knowledge of North Korea, sensationalizes things and also brought both North Korean people and visitors unnecessarily in danger by producing this sneakily.
- DirectorMarc WieseStarsDong-Hyuk ShinOh YangnamHyuk KwonShin Dong-Huyk was born on November 19, 1983 as a political prisoner in a North Korean re-education camp. He was a child of two prisoners who had been married by order of the wardens. He spent his entire childhood and youth in Camp 14, in fact a death camp. He was forced to labor since he was six years old and suffered from hunger, beatings and torture, always at the mercy of the wardens. He knew nothing about the world outside the barbed-wire fences. At the age of 23, with the help of an older prisoner, he managed to escape. For months he traveled through North Korea and China and finally to South Korea, where he encountered a world completely strange to him.
- DirectorVitaliy ManskiyStarsLee Zin-MiYu-YongHye-YongA propaganda documentary about North Korea that reveals a few hidden facts because the director continues filming between the scripted scenes.
- DirectorRoss AdamRobert CannanStarsChoi Eun-hiePaul Courtenay HyuShin Sang-okThe story of the South Korean actor, Choi Eun-hee, and her ex-husband and film director, Shin Sang-ok, who were individually kidnapped and reunited by dictator and film fan Kim Jong-il to force them to develop North Korea's film industry.
- DirectorÁlvaro LongoriaStarsÁlvaro LongoriaSimon CockerellKang Hyoin GyuGranted controlled access by national officials, filmmaker Álvaro Longoria tours North Korea to contrast his findings to the typical Western depiction of the nation.
- StarsMichael PalinAs diplomatic relations between DPRK and South Korea begin to slightly thaw after decades of hostility, comedian and world traveler Michael Palin is allowed to visit North Korea for two weeks and, to a limited extent, explore the country.
- DirectorSokeel ParkChad VickeryStarsJoo YangKang MinDanbi KimNorth Korea's Millennial Generation is shaking things up in the hermit kingdom. They grew up relying on themselves, not the regime, and they have a different mindset from the previous generation. Featuring hidden camera footage from inside North Korea, coupled with the firsthand experiences of eight North Korean defectors, this is a story of resilience, creativity, and quiet rebellion even in the most difficult of circumstances.
- DirectorJosé Luis GarcíaStarsIm Su-kyongAlejandro KimLim Su-kyung (also spelled as Lim Soo-kyung) attended the 13th World Festival of Youth and Students, held in North Korea in 1989, without first obtaining permission from the South Korean government. The Argentinian filmmaker José Luis García made this documentary focusing on Lim, as well as his own experience participating in the same 1989 North Korean festival, where he met her.