Friday, October 14, 2011

At the movies








































No, I couldn’t go to see a movie. But I’ve seen kids going to the movies near the Arch of Triumph. People in Pyongyang go often to the movies, some statistics give 21 times per year.
Also there wasn’t any activity going on at the Pyongyang International Cinema Hall, which is close to the Yanggakdo International Hotel, where I stayed in Pyongyang; actually each time in the same room, which had no other occupancy in between. More on the Pyongyang International Film Festival 2012 and filmmaking in Korea on
http://www.korfilm.com.kp/index.php?language=eng .
North Korea has a large movie production for the national market and Kim Jong-il is not only the Dear Leader, but also fond of movies and even directed movies.
I visited the Korean Film Studio, which was founded in 1947. It covers an area of over 1 000 000㎡ in the suburbs of Pyongyang, from where you can see the pyramid-shaped Ryugyong Hotel (105-stories high). I couldn’t go into the studios, but have seen the streets for shooting Japanese, Korean, Western, Chinese scenes.
While in Kaesong I also visited the Koryo Museum and there they were shooting a movie. In between scenes actors were yawning. But all in all it looked very professional
.

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