List of films set in or about North Korea
Encyclopedia
This is a list of films that involve North Korea
. (This listing excludes films produced by the North Korean government).
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
. (This listing excludes films produced by the North Korean government).
Documentaries
- Decades Apart: North Korea (2000). A 24-minute documentary (ABC Australia / Journeyman Pictures) about family reunifications of North and South Koreans in North Korea.
- Discovery Times: Children of the Secret State (2000)
- Welcome to North Korea, original title: Noord-Korea (2001) is a 50-minutes Dutch documentary directed by Raymond Feddema and Peter TetterooPeter TetterooPeter Tetteroo is a Dutch journalist and filmmaker.Peter Tetteroo has worked as a senior director for world wide broadcasters since 1987.He has travelled to many countries in Europe, North and South America, Africa, Asia and Australia....
. The film won the 2001 International Emmy awardEmmy AwardAn Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
for Best Documentary. - North Korea - Shadows And Whispers (2000). A 52-minute documentary by filmmaker Kim Jung-EunKim Jung-eunKim Jung-eun is a South Korean film and television actress most famous for her roles in Lovers in Paris and Marrying the Mafia...
for Journeyman PicturesJourneyman PicturesJourneyman Pictures is an English independent distributor of topical news features, documentaries and footage. The company publishes "The Journeyman Weekly" and has an archive of over 3,000 films...
about a North Korean family defecting to China. - Living Hell (2001). A 41-minute follow-up documentary to North Korea - Shadows And Whispers (2000).
- Interiéur Nord, English title(s): Day for Night in Pyongyang or Inside North Korea (2002). A 53-minute French documentary (Arte / Artline Films) by film maker David Carr-Brown about the film industry of North Korea.
- The Game of Their LivesThe Game of Their Lives (2002 film)The Game of Their Lives or "Chollima Chookgudan" is a 2002 documentary film directed by Daniel Gordon and his executive Nicholas Bonner about the seven surviving members of the North Korean national football team who participated in the Football World Cup 1966...
(2002) - Frontline/World: Suspicious Minds (2003)
- Frontline: Kim's Nuclear Gamble (2003). A 55-minute American documentary (PBS).
- Secret Nation (2003)
- Nuclear Nightmare: Understanding North Korea (2003). A 45-minute Discovery ChannelDiscovery ChannelDiscovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
documentary which has been criticized for its superficiality. - North Korea - The Juche Era (2003). A 46-minute Bulgarian documentary distributed by Journeyman PicturesJourneyman PicturesJourneyman Pictures is an English independent distributor of topical news features, documentaries and footage. The company publishes "The Journeyman Weekly" and has an archive of over 3,000 films...
. - North Korea: Beyond The DMZ (2003). A 60-minute documentary by J.T. Takagi & Hye Jung Park.
- A State of MindA State of MindA State of Mind is a 2004 documentary film directed by Daniel Gordon and produced by Nicholas Bonner. The film follows two North Korean child gymnasts and their families for over eight months during training for the 2003 Pyongyang mass games...
(2004) - North Korea: A Day in the Life (2004)
- North Korea : the Border and the War (2004)
- Access to Evil (2004)
- Return To The BorderReturn To The BorderReturn To The Border is a 2005 documentary film directed by Zhao Liang about his return to his hometown in China that borders the Yalu river and North Korea. The short film presents deep insight into both the Chinese and North Korean societies and changes that have taken place over the last...
(2005) - CNN Presents: Undercover in the Secret State (2005)
- "Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story" (2006), BBC, PBS, Fuji TV, An 85-minute American documentary. (Read more about Megumi YokotaMegumi Yokotawas one of at least 17 Japanese citizens kidnapped by North Korea in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She was abducted on November 15, 1977 at the age of thirteen and apparently forced to help train North Korean spies to pass as Japanese citizens...
). - Seoul TrainSeoul TrainSeoul Train is a 2005 documentary that deals with the dangerous journeys of North Korean defectors fleeing through or to China. These journeys are both dangerous and daring, since if caught, they face forced repatriation, torture and possible execution....
(2006) - 60 Minutes60 Minutes60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
: The Hermit Kingdom (2006) - Crossing the Line (2006)
- ABC newsABC NewsABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
A rare look inside North Korea (2006) - Friends of Kim (2006). A 71-minute documentary about a group of members of the Korean Friendship AssociationKorean Friendship AssociationThe Korean Friendship Association , headed by Spanish citizen Alejandro Cao de Benos de Les y Pérez, is an organization working with the Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea , as well as an organ of promotion/public relations for the...
, who travel to North Korea to demonstrate their support for the North Korean regime. - Nordkorea: Einblicke in ein verschlossenes Land which translates to North Korea: Insights into a secretive country (2006). A 43-minute German documentary about a changing society. The film covers i.a. the following topics: the KimchiKimchiKimchi , also spelled gimchi, kimchee, or kim chee, is a traditional fermented Korean dish made of vegetables with varied seasonings. There are hundreds of varieties of kimchi made with a main vegetable ingredient such as napa cabbage, radish, green onions or cucumber. It is the most common...
harvest, energy shortages, the North Korean preschool system, the North Korean famineNorth Korean famine'The North Korean famine was a famine in North Korea which began in the early 1990s...
, English lessons in North Korean schools, private farm markets and restaurants, demand driven shoe production, a Buddhist temple, a Bowling alley and the International Friendship ExhibitionInternational Friendship ExhibitionThe International Friendship Exhibition is a large museum complex located at Myohyang-san mountain, North Pyongan province, in North Korea. It is a collection of halls that house gifts presented to former leader Kim Il-sung and the current leader Kim Jong-il from various foreign dignitaries...
. - Kims Reich: Unterwegs in Nordkorea which translates to Kim's Kingdom: Travelling in North Korea (2006). A 27-minute German documentary about a Swiss tourist group. The film covers i.a. the Arirang FestivalArirang FestivalThe Grand Mass Gymnastics and Artistic Performance Arirang are held in the Rungrado May Day Stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea...
, a visit to a Buddhist temple, the demilitarized zone and the mountains of Kuwŏlsan and Myohyang-sanMyohyang-sanMyohyang-san is a mountain in North Korea . The mountain is named after the mystic shapes and fragrances found in the area....
. - National Geographic: Inside North Korea (2007)
- Undercover in North Korea (2007)
- An American in North Korea (2007)
- North Korea: Hell on earth
- National Geographic: Don't Tell My Mother I'm In... (Episode on North Korea)
- North Korea a legacy of tension (2007)
- The Vice Guide to North Korea (2008)
- Kimjongilia (2008)
- The Juche Idea (2008). A 62-minute documentary about the JucheJucheJuche or Chuch'e is a Korean word usually translated as "self-reliance." In the Democratic People's Republic of Korea , "Juche" refers specifically to a political thesis of Kim Il-sung, the Juche Idea, that identifies the Korean masses as the masters of the country's development...
ideology. - Vítejte v KLDR! (English title: Welcome to North Korea!) (2008) is a 71-minute Czech documentary about a Czech tourist group travelling to North Korea.
- Seven Days In North Korea (2008) is a documentary by David Pluth focusing solely on North Korean tourist attractions.
- Themepark 1984 (2009) http://www.infinitehumanstupidity.com
- Kim Jong Il's Comedy Club (2009)
- Departures (TV series) (2010)
- The Red ChapelThe Red Chapel-External links:* The official film website* at the Sundance Film Festival website, including trailer* from The Hollywood Reporter...
(2010). A Danish documentary about a fictional theatre group who want to perform in North Korea. The same footage was used in the 4-part documentary Det Røde KapelDet Røde KapelDet Røde Kapel was a Danish television show on the Danish television channel DR2, about the fictional theatre group Det Røde Kapel, which consists of three Danish comedians, who want to perform a comedy/variety show in North Korea...
(2006). - Dictature, paranoïa, famine : bienvenue en Corée du Nord (2010). A 68-minute French documentary (M6 / Enquête exclusive) about a French tourist group visiting North Korea.
- Wide Angle: Crossing Heaven's Border (PBS)
- Seoul SistersSeoul SistersThe Seoul Sisters is an upcoming film that explains the plight of North Korean refugees as they escape via a 6,000-mile 'underground railroad from Northern China to Bangkok, Thailand and the unique situation on the Korean Peninsula....
(2011). A Canadian documentary about the situation on the Korean Peninsula. Similar to Seoul TrainSeoul TrainSeoul Train is a 2005 documentary that deals with the dangerous journeys of North Korean defectors fleeing through or to China. These journeys are both dangerous and daring, since if caught, they face forced repatriation, torture and possible execution....
and hosted by Max JonesMax JonesMax Jones is an American Journalist, best known for his role as host of 2011 documentary, The Seoul Sisters and being the founder & an on air personality of positive news network, Felice News...
, a 13-year-old Felice News co-host and North Korea activist.
Drama or Fiction
- The Bridges at Toko-RiThe Bridges at Toko-RiThe Bridges at Toko-Ri is a 1954 film based on a novel by James Michener about a naval aviator assigned to bomb a group of heavily defended bridges during the Korean War. It was made into a motion picture by Paramount Pictures and won the Special Effects Oscar at the 28th Academy Awards...
(1954) - Target Zero (1955)
- Jet Attack (1958)
- The Manchurian Candidate (1962 film)The Manchurian Candidate (1962 film)The Manchurian Candidate is a 1962 American Cold War political thriller film starring Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, Janet Leigh and Angela Lansbury, and featuring Henry Silva, James Gregory, Leslie Parrish and John McGiver...
(1962) - MASHMASH (film)MASH is a 1970 American satirical dark comedy film directed by Robert Altman and written by Ring Lardner, Jr., based on Richard Hooker's novel MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors. It is the only feature film in the M*A*S*H franchise...
(1970) - PulgasariPulgasariPulgasari is a North Korean feature film produced in 1985, a giant-monster film similar to the Japanese Godzilla series. It was produced by South Korean director Shin Sang-ok, who had been kidnapped in 1978 by North Korean intelligence on the orders of Kim Jong-il, son of the then-ruling Kim...
(1985) - The RescueThe Rescue (1988 film)The Rescue is a 1988 adventure film about a group of teenagers who infiltrate a North Korean prison to rescue their Navy SEAL fathers. It was written by Michael J. Henderson, Jim Thomas, and John Thomas, produced by Laura Ziskin, and directed by Ferdinand Fairfax...
(1988) - Defilada (1989)
- ProvocateurProvocateur (film)Provocateur is a 1998 movie directed by Jim Donovan, written by Roger Kumble, and starring Lillo Brancato Jr. and Jane March. Original score by Mark Nakamura and Mark Shannon...
(1998) - ShiriShiri (film)Shiri is a 1999 South Korean action film, written and directed by Kang Je-gyu.Swiri was the first Hollywood-style big-budget blockbuster to be produced in the "new" Korean film industry...
(1999) - Joint Security AreaJoint Security Area (film)Joint Security Area is a 2000 South Korean film starring Lee Young Ae, Lee Byung-hun and Song Kang-ho. It was directed by Park Chan-wook and is based on the novel DMZ by Park Sang-yeon...
(2000) - Die Another DayDie Another DayDie Another Day is the 20th spy film in the James Bond series, and the fourth and last film to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond; it is also the last Bond film of the original timeline with the series being rebooted with Casino Royale...
(2002) - North Korean GuysNorth Korean GuysNorth Korean Guys , also released as Lost in the South Mission: Going Home, is a 2003 South Korean comedy film directed by Ahn Jin-woo...
(2003) - Love Impossible (Namnam bungnyeo) (2003)
- SilmidoSilmido (film)Silmido is a 2003 South Korean film, directed by Kang Woo-suk. It is loosely based on a military uprising from the island of Silmido in the 1970s. At the end of its run, the film was the most watched film ever in South Korea, and the first film to attract an audience of 10 million viewers in the...
(2003) - Spy GirlSpy GirlSpy Girl is a 2004 South Korean film starring Kim Jung-hwa and Gong Yoo.-Plot:A group of students run a website devoted to the girls who work at their local Burger King. When Ko-bong falls head over heels with new girl Hyo-jin, he promptly posts some pictures of her on the internet, and before long...
(2004) - Taegukgi: The Brotherhood of WarTaegukgi (film)Taegukgi Hwinallimyo is a 2004 South Korean war film directed by Kang Je-gyu. It tells the story about the effect of the Korean War on two brothers. The film's title is the name of the pre-war Flag of Korea as well as the postwar Flag of South Korea...
(2004) - Team America: World PoliceTeam America: World PoliceTeam America: World Police, often referred to as simply Team America, is a 2004 action comedy film written by Trey Parker, Matt Stone, and Pam Brady and directed by Parker, all of whom are also known for the popular animated television series South Park...
(2004) - StealthStealth (film)Stealth is a 2005 American science fiction action film starring Jessica Biel, Josh Lucas, Jamie Foxx, and Sam Shepard. The film was directed by Rob Cohen, director of The Fast and the Furious and xXx....
(2005) - Welcome to DongmakgolWelcome to DongmakgolWelcome to Dongmakgol is a 2005 South Korean film set during the Korean War. It was South Korea's official entry for the foreign language film category of the Academy Awards in 2005, and as of 2005 it was the fourth-highest grossing South Korean film of all time...
(2005) (does not explicitly indicate whether it is set in North Korea) - Crossing the Line (VMS /Koryo Tours 2006)
- Behind Enemy Lines II (2006)
- Comrades in Dreams (2006)http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0893513/
- CrossingCrossing (2008 film)Crossing is a 2008 South Korean film directed by Kim Tae-gyun. It has been selected as South Korea's submission to the 81st Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film.-Plot:...
크로싱 (2008) - 71: Into the Fire (2010)
- Secret ReunionSecret ReunionSecret Reunion is one of the highest grossing Korean films of 2010. The story follows Song Kang-ho as Agent Lee Han-gyu of the National Intelligence Service who falls from grace after failing to stop the assassination of a North Korean dissident...
(2010)