Comrade Kim Goes Flying – at the HK Film Festival, November 1,2 & 12

It would be highly remiss of me not to plug these screenings of Nick Bonner’s (he of Koryo Tours fame) amazing movie, Comrade Kim Goes Flying, made in North Korea. That Nick got this project through from stupid idea in a bar to final film is a feat of almost unparallelled Juche-like endeavor and he is clearly now the “Dear and Great Film Maker”. If you’re in Hong Kong for the Film Festival don’t miss this amazing piece of movie history….more details of the screenings and booking here

Comrade Kim Goes Flying is a fairytale in more ways than one. This is an unprecedented collaboration between three directors (one British, one Belgian, one North Korean) and countless North Korean colleagues who through belief and sheer force of will brought this Disney-esque tale to the screen. Professional circus performer Han Jong-sim underwent intense acting training to play Kim Yong-mi, a 28 year-old coal miner who gave up her dreams of being an acrobat to toil in the mines. But when she travels to Pyongyang, she’s instantly enchanted by the circus big top, the thrill of the trapeze, and the attentions of hunky acrobat Pak Jang-phil (Pak-Chung-guk). The feel-good movie of the year – for audiences and filmmakers alike!