South Korea: North Korean films publicly screened at BIFAN 2018
North Korean films are publicly shown for the first time at a South Korean film festival amid the thaw in inter-Korean relations.
Nine North Korean films are being publicly screened in South Korea for the first time.
They are part of the 22nd Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN 2018) after its organisers applied for a special permit to screen them.
North Korean movies are classified as “special data” in South Korea, which means that to screen those films, a South Korean cinema-owner needs prior approval from the government.
The films provide a rare glimpse into daily life in the isolated nation and Koreans hope that showing them will contributing to the improving ties between the nations.
Al Jazeera’s Florence Looi reports.
Published On 18 Jul 2018