British filmmaker Daniel Gordon’s A State of Mind follows two young North Korean schoolgirls who are preparing for the upcoming Mass Games, held in the Dear General’s honor, where they’ll perform in an enormous, gymnastic spectacle:
Following on from the 2002 RTS award-winning documentary The Game of Their Lives, Gordon’s new film paints a candid portrait of these two young girls’ difficult (though by North Korean standards, very privileged) lives in this fascinating look at one of the world’s most hidden societies. Asia Society spoke with Daniel Gordon about the making of the documentary and his observations while in North Korea.
You were able to get unrestricted access to daily life in Pyongyang. Did the fact that you had already filmed The Game of Their Lives help you convince North Korean film authorities to grant you permission to do A State of Mind?
Absolutely. You really cannot underestimate what an impact The Game of Their Lives has had on people in North Korea. It has been broadcast over ten times on TV so everyone has seen it, everyone knows who we are and that it’s a popular film. We get very good treatment by almost everyone we meet, whether they are ordinary citizens on the streets or people in an official capacity.
Did you have a translator or guide with you the whole time?
As we say in the film, we had guides and translators with us at all times but they neither interfered nor sought to censor the material. They were there to assist us but they had no editorial input or influence.
Were you required to show them the final version of the film before releasing it to the public?
People find it hard to believe but the North Koreans had no editorial control. The first time they saw the finished version was after its first broadcast on the BBC. In essence, they trusted us to make an impartial film.
Do you find that the world of sports seems less threatening to North Korea as a subject matter for films? What attracts you to doing sports stories?
I am a sports fanatic and sports themes can tell great human stories, and remain neutral, even when the subject matter may be quite political. What fascinated me about the football team was how they emerged from a nation absolutely devastated by the Korean War to be at the World Cup just 13 years later. For A State of Mind I wanted to use the theme of daily life in Pyongyang through the eyes of these two schoolgirl gymnasts.
How did you find the two schoolgirls Kim Song Yun and Pal Hyon Sun?
We asked them for the best gymnast and met Pak Hyon Sun and her family in September 2002. Our intention was to have two gymnasts and one person who makes up the stunning backdrop. Having found Pak Hyon Sun we began filming in February 2003. She told us of her friend, Kim Song Yon and we got a feeling that we could develop their friendship as a theme. Pak is an only child, and loves going to Kim’s house, as there are three girls there. Kim learns gymnastic moves from Pak, so their relationship is mutually dependent. By April 2003, we understood that the Mass Games were going to be held indoors so there would be no backdrop so we just concentrated on the two girls.
Your film captures the very vivid and disturbing devotion that these children and adults have for their leader, Kim Jong Il. Did you get any sense from the people you met that there might be fear of punishment if they said anything on camera against the government?
No, one of the surprising and encouraging things was how open they were with us. No one looked at our footage or tried to edit it before we left the country.
(You can watch it on Netflix.)