Foreigners Film the Inside of North Korea’s Movie Hub for the First Time

Al Jazeera reports on a remarkable project by filmmakers Lynn Lee and James Leong, who spent two years inside North Korea making a documentary on Pyongyang’s University of Cinematic and Dramatic Arts, the country’s fusion of Hollywood-like entertainment industry hub and propaganda machine. Above, a 25-minute special on this otherworldly place.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il’s love of film is well-documented, but few outsiders know that he is revered as a genius of cinema by his own people. On this episode of 101 East we gain a rare insight into the beating heart of North Korea’s film industry.

See also: North Korea’s Mass Games.

(Al Jazeera via MeFi)