Pyongyang Diaries
This documentary records Hoaas' personal encounter with the closed society of North Korea. As with her earlier work, Hoaas approaches her film as a cumulation of fragments encompassing different perspectives that together offer a point of entry into a complex society. Her diary-style narration signals her limited personal perspective into this culture, especially given the brief filming period and her difficulty in breaking through the facade of the showcase version of Korea insisted upon by her official guides. Hoaas' restricted visual access, and her reluctance to present over-familiar images of the hardship and depravation informed her decision to use this narrative device to frame her film within the context of the famine crisis that began in 1997 following the failure of crops caused by two consecutive years of heavy flooding.
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Cast
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Solrun Hoaas Director · Elena Kats-Chernin Composer Anne Carter Editor
First release February 18, 1998 · Produced in Australia · Production Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation, Ronin Films
Production
Goshu Films
Production
Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation
Production
Ronin Films
Production · Distribution
Australian Film Commission
Production
Australia
Produced in
Languages
Original language
English
Spoken on screen
English
Release dates
Germany · February 18, 1998
Premiere · Berlin International Film Festival
No release date listed for United States.
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