MovieChat Forums > V luchakh solntsa (2016) Discussion > about the documentarist resbonsibilty

about the documentarist resbonsibilty

posted 8 years ago by ethanoel
6 replies | jump to latest

i was only wondering if there were any repercussions on the family and the little girl (or government officials) because the document was a complete failure for the north koreans and they did not succeed in obtaining its propagandist purpose. on the contrary, it made everything look - though unintentional for their part and fully intentional for the director´s part who on several occasions "accidentally" leaves his camera on to capture the ridiculous maneuvers behind the scenes - as surreal as the everyday life apparently is in kim jong-un´s totalitarian country.

even for more inconsequential reasons people are and have been sent for re-education (=forced labor) camps in north korea. this is of course the perennial question of any documentary or film makers´ responsibility: at what cost you can pursue your personal ambitions or bring forth social problems and then leave everything conveniently behind after you stop shooting and reach your aims.

[–] jonny_the_guru 8 years ago

CBC Radio in Canada recently interviewed Vitaly Mansky, the director, and asked him about this. his response was that apparently due to international screenings of this film, especially in South Korea, the young girl has since been continued to be used as a propaganda tool, and at least on the surface, will continue to play an important role for them. but obviously, there is no way to know for sure.

if you're interested in listening to the full 20 minute interview, it can be found here: http://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-june-30-2016-1.3659432/north-korea-documentary-under-the-sun-reveals-inner-workings-of-propaganda-machine-1.3659436

[–] Roddickq 8 years ago

Not the girl and the family.

The "minders" or the Korean side "Director" of this movie will be executed as soon as they will see what kind of movie came out. There is no other way, they were supposed to review the footage and vet what goes into film and what doesn't. The party will see that It is a failure on part of Korean side people who were staging it.

They are all dead.

[–] skymoscow 8 years ago

Mr. Fahey? ;)
And yes, sadly they are all dead.
So, dronebombing is a solution.

[–] baronvonliebestraum 8 years ago

There is no other way, they were supposed to review the footage and vet what goes into film and what doesn't. The party will see that It is a failure on part of Korean side people who were staging it.

They are all dead.

You're probably right though I fervently hope you are wrong. Maybe they're cooling their heels in a reeducation "camp" (which is probably worse).
Not that it probably matters to the regime, but they did painstakingly review all the footage they (thought they) had. The Russian crew created an elaborate scheme that involved duplicate memory cards that they were able to hide from the North Korean handlers.

[–] trisul 8 years ago

I kept asking myself the same question when watching this movie. I feel it is utterly irresponsible to the North Koreans that participated in this production. I am sure that there will be consequences for this family, not only the minders.

At the same time, I am grateful for the insight they have given us into the workings of a police state, not just North Korea. I only hope that one day, North Koreans will manage to overthrow their evil regime.

[–] TsarStepan 7 years ago

Following this thread (if and when more news comes out about the status of Lee Zin-Mi and her classmates).

~An almond croissant filled with sweet almond paste but filled with ennui instead. C'est moi!