Bucheon: A Glimpse Into North Korea Through Cinema

Courtesy of Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival

'The Story of Our Home'

The South Korean film festival saw the country's first ever public screening of a film from the North, the Pyongyang Film Festival award winner 'The Story of Our Home.'

On July 15, over 1,000 people gathered on the lawn of Bucheon City Hall, Gyeonggi Province, for South Korea's first ever public screening of a North Korean film.

Since the Korean War ended in 1953, cross-border civilian contact has been banned unless authorized by the governments of the two Koreas. Firewalls prevent South Koreans from visiting North Korean websites while written requests must be approved for accessing Northern films—which are classified as "special material"—at the state-backed Korean Film Archive in Seoul.

The outdoor screening of The Story of Our Home, a family drama directed by Ri Yun-ho that won Best Film at the 15th Pyongyang Film Festival in 2016. It is among nine titles including three features and six shorts that were shown during the 21st Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival. Organizers of Asia's largest genre film event announced that South Korean authorities approved the North Korean film showcase on July 10, which was just two days before it kicked off on July 12..........
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