Film critic Simon Fowler used to hunt down obscure propaganda movies smuggled out of the secretive state. Now, many of them are freely available to watch online. Here’s his pick of the best

When people find out I write a blog about North Korean cinema, the questions they ask are often the same. How on earth did you become interested in that? Is it true that Kim Jong-il ordered the kidnap of South Korea’s most famous film director? Are all the films just propaganda? Are they actually any good?

I stumbled into the world of North Korean cinema in 2009 while working as the film critic for Time Out in Beijing. I was startled to learn that cinema production almost totally stopped in China during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) as Mao’s Red Guard enforced a reign of terror on the Chinese people, similar in some ways to North Korea. Into this void in China came a 1972 North Korean film called The Flower Girl, which became a smash hit.

From there, my interest was piqued. North Korea’s late leader Kim Jong-il loved cinema, and devoted a good chunk of his time to developing the country’s film industry. I hunted out obscure titles that had been long forgotten, and befriended people at Koryo Tours (a state-endorsed travel company that specialises in trips to North Korea) who would copy video CDs of as many North Korean films as they could get their hands on. A man in Japan would smuggle out VHS copies of some ultra-rare films for me.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The Flower Girl film poster. Photograph: Koryo Tours

Now, huge volumes of North Korean films are available on YouTube. In answer to the questions above, I think these films are very important historical documents. North Korea continues to fascinate and beguile us; we crave documentaries about life there, but still remain in the dark. We don’t even know that much about how people in North Korea enjoy the movies that we can now easily watch online.

These films, the best five of which I’ve selected here, may not satisfy the popcorn cravings of a Saturday night, but they do give us another angle into a country we seem to fear and misunderstand in equal measure.

1. The Flower Girl

The best-known North Korean film would have to be The Flower Girl. Dubbed by the North Koreans themselves as an “immortal classic” along with 1968’s the Sea of Blood, the film purports to be based on the writings of the country’s founder Kim Il-sung, and was produced by a young upstart by the name of Kim Jong-il – North Korea’s late leader and Kim Il-Sung’s son. Kim Jong-il’s determination to modernise the film industry of North Korea is reportedly what catapulted the film-obsessed youngster into his father’s favour, and it led to a lifelong obsession.



Set during the time of Japanese rule in the 1920/30s, The Flower Girl (1972) follows a young woman and her family as they are mistreated by their landlord. With an ever-increasing stream of bad luck befalling the family, the only thing that can save the family (and North Korea) is the deus ex machina of Kim Il-sung and his communist army who arrive on the scene in the final 10 minutes to right all the wrongs of society. Life is tough, the film seems to say, but at least it’s better than when the Japanese were here.



The importance of The Flower Girl within the DPRK cannot be overestimated. The star, Hong Yong-hee, adorns the one won bank note in North Korea, and is revered as a national hero. Although not always an easy watch, those wanting to learn more about the average North Koreans’ sensibilities could do far worse than to watch this picturesque but tragic film.



2. Hong Kil Dong

The production of The Flower Girl managed to go someway to modernising North Korean cinema, but it was the the kidnap and imprisonment of South Korean director Shin Sang-ok that really changed the state of play. He was forced to make seven films under the guidance of Kim Jong-il north before he and his wife made a daring escape in 1986 (a documentary will soon be released on the almost unbelievable aspects of his life).

Shin’s output in North Korea was most notable for the Hong Kong-style kung fu epic Hong Kil Dong. Sometimes called the first North Korean film made purely for entertainment value, the action centres on the legendary Robin Hood-type character of Korean folk law, Hong Kil Dong.

Born the illegitimate son of a nobleman, Hong’s jealous mother-in-law plots to have him killed by a group of bandits as he travels to a nearby town. Fortuitously saved by a devastatingly deadly kung fu monk who just so happens to be passing by, the young Hong goes on to train with the monk and use his newly acquired skills to defend local villagers from oppressive forces. With heaped spoonfuls of Shaw Brothers-inspired kung fu, the film is unlike the entire pantheon of North Korean cinema that had gone before it. This is a film that needs no historical context to be watched and most unusually for North Korean film, can quite easily be enjoyed.

3. Pulgasari

If The Flower Girl wins the award for the most famous North Korean film, Pulgasari is easily the most infamous. Under the guidance of the kidnapped Shin Sang-ok, the Godzilla style epic was filmed partially in Beijing and featuring technicians from the Toho Studio in Japan (home of the original Godzilla). Set in medieval times, Pulgasari tells the story of a group of feudal villagers harshly oppressed by the governor who owns their land.

In a twist reminiscent of the Jewish folktale of the golem, an old imprisoned blacksmith makes an effigy of a monster, which comes to life and has an enormous appetite for metal and destruction. Some have drawn parallels between this and a warning against the dangers of capitalism (here metal equals money, we can assume) but it’s far easier to get lost in the ridiculousness of it all.

Kenpachiro Satsuma (one of the original men in a rubber suit who played Godzilla) stomps his way through a variety of reasonably spectacular set pieces as the governor tries more and more desperate measures to control the beast. The film was released commercially in Japan and would sit well in a midnight movie screening for many ironic film aficionados. After Shin escaped North Korea, this, like most of his films has virtually disappeared from screenings within the country.



4. Marathon Runner

Marathon Runner was filmed in 2002 but looks like it was made in the 1970s. Given the antiquated production techniques and style of clothing, the film appears to be trapped in a time warp.

Given that it is based on a real event (Jong Song-ok won the gold medal at the 1999 World Athletics Championships) we can easily identify this pleasing tale of dedication and devotion to the North Korean way of life.

Jong’s path to the World Championships are littered with obstacles - injury and excessive pressure from her family mean her dreams of competing and winning are stacked against her. But unlike other athletes, Jong seems to be able to take almost supernatural encouragement from Kim Jong-il and Kim Il-sung. At one point in the film, the camera pans around to display pictures of the leaders Dear and Great so that Jong and her family can bask in their eternal love.

In another, upon hearing that the Dear Leader’s convoy is passing a nearby mountain, Jong manages to run up the peak (discarding the bandages on her injured leg) just in time to see his car pass by in the distance. Merely touching the tracks created by his armoured vehicle is the boost that Jong needs to get her prepared for the championship.



5. Centre Forward

What’s so easy to love about Centre Forward is how it reassures us that the troubles present in football remain eternal, regardless of country, time or political system.

There are interfering owners, superstar players who are picked by reputation alone and fickle fans in this charming story of a up-and-coming football star who dreams of playing for his local team. It is the least politically jarring film I’ve ever come across from North Korea. It is also a reminder of how seriously the beautiful game is taken in North Korea, a country whose fortunes at the 1966 World Cup in England can be followed in the excellent documentary The Game of Their Lives.

Simon Fowler is author of 101 Essential Chinese Movies

