Pyongyang Diaries
Clip 1: The Great Leader
2 min 15 sec
Taken from the documentary Pyongyang Diaries (1997)
Original title classification PG – this clip chosen to be G
Availability of the complete title
Curator’s clip description
At a celebration at Kim Il Sung Square for the founding day of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (the DPRK or North Korea), a woman speaks to camera about her happiness and her devotion to the Great Leader, the late Kim Il Sung. Filmmaker Solrun Hoaas visits the Kumsusan Memorial Palace – Kim Il Sung’s former residence – where thousands of Koreans pay their respects to the Great Leader whose embalmed body lies on display.
Curator’s notes
Hoaas is restricted in her coverage of North Korea, but is able to subtly tell her story through what is not shown and through her personal voice-over narration. The North Koreans she interviews are often cautious and at times appear to be simply toeing the party line – it is unclear whether the woman in this clip is presenting a public face to the camera or whether she believes the things she says. This ambiguity runs throughout the film and tells its own story of restriction and censorship.
Lauren Williams, curator
