The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
  • World Expo 2030
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
  • Hangzhou Asian Games
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
  • World Expo 2030
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
  • Hangzhou Asian Games
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
  • Login
  • Register
  • Login
  • Register
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
  • 1

    N. Korea holds politburo meeting to discuss Kim-Putin summit: KCNA

  • 3

    30 people purchased 8,000 homes: data

  • 5

    BTS member Suga begins mandatory military service

  • 7

    Kim Jong-un's rejection of Russia's food assistance irritates North Korean defectors

  • 9

    National Assembly passes motion to arrest DPK chief

  • 11

    Gender equality minister nominee in hot seat over remarks on abortion

  • 13

    S. Korea condemns Russia, seeks to mend ties with China

  • 15

    Honey-dipped cookie to represent 'K-desserts' at global food expo in Germany

  • 17

    COVID-19 deaths hit record high in Korea for 2022

  • 19

    KG Mobility seeks breakthrough in Europe

  • 2

    Scientists find green way to turn CO2 into fuel with sunlight

  • 4

    BTS defies K-pop's 'seven-year curse'

  • 6

    BLACKPINK's contract renewal still in limbo

  • 8

    Rights experts from 17 countries demand release of North Korean escapees in China

  • 10

    Seoul invites ambassadors to introduce new halal foods in Korea

  • 12

    Yoon says arms deal between N. Korea, Russia would be 'direct provocation' against S. Korea

  • 14

    US striving to stop NK's potential weapons support to Russia 'wherever we can': Blinken

  • 16

    Top court upholds life sentence for woman over drowning husband for insurance money

  • 18

    Aespa's VR concert to hit theaters Oct. 25

  • 20

    From friend to foe: NK athletes of 2018 joint Korean teams return as rivals to S. Korea

Close scrollclosebutton

Close for 24 hours

Open
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
Sat, September 23, 2023 | 17:14
Films
Australian filmmaker's new source of inspiration: North Korean propaganda
Posted : 2018-09-10 18:24
Updated : 2018-09-12 15:37
Park Jin-hai
Print PreviewPrint Preview
Font Size UpFont Size Up
Font Size DownFont Size Down
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • kakaolink
  • whatsapp
  • reddit
  • mailto
  • link
Filmmaker Anna Broinowski, center, speaks to a North Korean director in this photo taken in North Korea in September 2012. / Courtesy of DocForest
Filmmaker Anna Broinowski, center, speaks to a North Korean director in this photo taken in North Korea in September 2012. / Courtesy of DocForest

By Park Jin-hai

Anna Broinowski, an Australian film director, who traveled to North Korea in 2012 to learn Pyongyang-style propaganda filmmaking which resulted in her 2013 comic documentary "Aim High in Creation," visited Seoul prior to her film's release in the country.

"Back in 2010, I started to read this book (The Cinema and Directing by Kim Jong-il) and the minute I read it, I was fascinated. For me, even though Kim Jong-il wrote a book about how to make a social propaganda movie, you can tell how much he loved Hollywood cinema. I found that very interesting," said Broinowski during her press conference in Seoul, Monday.

"Here was a dictator whose job was overthrowing capitalism. He loved Elizabeth Taylor movies and James Bond. He used all the techniques of Hollywood thrillers and rom-coms and monster movies to make his own style of his filmmaking."

At the time in 2010, there were multinational companies in her homeland that upped their propaganda for the development of coal seam gas, towards the Austrian residents concerned about its threats to the environment and communities.

With no big budget to speak of, the director decided to do something unusual to stop the gas mine. "There are a lot of very expensive commercials in Australia that say coal seam gas is good, coal seams are green: western propaganda… What if I make a film Kim Jong-il's style _ his films are very powerful and influential _ is this like cinematic kryptonite to stop the gas mine."

The award-winning documentary filmmaker and author became the first Westerner to earn full access to one of the most reclusive regime's film industry. She and producer Lizzette Atkins had stayed in Pyongyang for 21 days from September, 2012, interviewed famous North Korean film directors including Lee Gwan-am and actress Yun Su-gyong. When she came back to Sydney, she shot the short film "The Gardener" sticking to the late North Korean leader's manifesto, and the full length film "Aim High" documents the whole process.

When she told the Australian cast and crew that they would make North Korean style film, they said it was not going to work. "If you look at the short film "The Gardener," it would never work in the west. By itself it is very hard-fisted, dogmatic and boring, because it's old fashioned," she said. "It's true to the rules of this book, that's what we wanted to make. Yet we wanted to be true to the rules of this book, without going into parody because that would be disrespectful of North Korean filmmakers who have advised us."

Her mission as a filmmaker filming in North Korea was to "humanize" North Korean filmmakers. When she first made the "Aim High" creation, there were only three stories allowed about North Korea in the western media, she says: it is the land of prisons and starvation; an evil brainwashing empire with its citizens having no control over their lives; and a backwards enemy state, a member of the Axis of Evil.

"I'm a filmmaker and my message is one of humanitarianism. Building a cultural bridge about a country that is really seen just in black and white by the West and I wanted to find the color," she said.
When she showed the film in America, she says it was heartwarming. "American people come up to me and say, Oh my god they are people, just like us. So next time they watch FOX news, they're hearing we maybe need to do more war games, they are going to think of human beings that are perhaps going to be victims of that. If I've helped change the perception on that small level, I think I've done the part that I've tried to do."


Emailjinhai@ktimes.com Article ListMore articles by this reporter
 
miguel
Top 10 Stories
1Scientists find green way to turn CO2 into fuel with sunlightScientists find green way to turn CO2 into fuel with sunlight
2Kim Jong-un's rejection of Russia's food assistance irritates North Korean defectors Kim Jong-un's rejection of Russia's food assistance irritates North Korean defectors
3Opposition party in turmoil as leader could be arrested on Tuesday Opposition party in turmoil as leader could be arrested on Tuesday
4Korea boosts subsidies to rev up falling EV sales Korea boosts subsidies to rev up falling EV sales
5Russia lodges protest to S.Korean envoy over Yoon's UN speech Russia lodges protest to S.Korean envoy over Yoon's UN speech
6Foreign employees rewarded for contribution to Korea's shipbuilding industry Foreign employees rewarded for contribution to Korea's shipbuilding industry
7Lawmakers want to grill business tycoons over decision to rejoin FKI Lawmakers want to grill business tycoons over decision to rejoin FKI
8Gov't reviews changing description of Fukushima wastewater Gov't reviews changing description of Fukushima wastewater
9Saudi Arabia celebrates 93rd National DaySaudi Arabia celebrates 93rd National Day
10'Songpyeon' for low-income families 'Songpyeon' for low-income families
Top 5 Entertainment News
1BLACKPINK's contract renewal still in limbo BLACKPINK's contract renewal still in limbo
2[INTERVIEW] Virtual K-pop group MAVE: is more than just pretty pixels INTERVIEWVirtual K-pop group MAVE: is more than just pretty pixels
3Hebrew University students travel to Korea to explore musical landscape Hebrew University students travel to Korea to explore musical landscape
4[INTERVIEW] Seoul's increased art market momentum brings Sotheby's back to Korea INTERVIEWSeoul's increased art market momentum brings Sotheby's back to Korea
5[INTERVIEW] 'Cobweb' director questions meaning of cinema INTERVIEW'Cobweb' director questions meaning of cinema
DARKROOM
  • Turkey-Syria earthquake

    Turkey-Syria earthquake

  • Nepal plane crash

    Nepal plane crash

  • Brazil capital uprising

    Brazil capital uprising

  • Happy New Year 2023

    Happy New Year 2023

  • World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

    World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

CEO & Publisher : Oh Young-jin
Digital News Email : webmaster@koreatimes.co.kr
Tel : 02-724-2114
Online newspaper registration No : 서울,아52844
Date of registration : 2020.02.05
Masthead : The Korea Times
Copyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.
  • About Us
  • Introduction
  • History
  • Contact Us
  • Products & Services
  • Subscribe
  • E-paper
  • RSS Service
  • Content Sales
  • Site Map
  • Policy
  • Code of Ethics
  • Ombudsman
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service
  • Copyright Policy
  • Family Site
  • Hankook Ilbo
  • Dongwha Group