The indestructibly cheerful social-realist melodrama, whose colourful mise-en-scène and pathos of socialist propaganda are typically North Korean. Made by a Belgian, British, North Korean directing trio.
Comrade Kim Yong Mi is a young coalminer from a small village in the North Korean countryside, who has dreamt of becoming an acrobat all her life. When she travels to Pyongyang to work at the construction site the first thing she visits is the circus. Backstage, she meets a famous trapeze artist, who encourages her to go for an audition. But Yong Mi finds she cannot cope with the height of the trapeze and falls. She is mocked by Pak Jang Phil, the arrogant trapeze star, who believes that coalminers should stay where they belong, underground, and not in the sky. With the help of her new boss and the construction workers, Kim is determined to prove him wrong. The talented Kim makes tremendous progress and gradually succeeds in winning the heart of the inimical Pak Jang Phil.
» Our script was nothing like a standard North Korean script. We had a female lead character pursuing her own dream without regard for country or party, and she was a coal miner dreaming of a life outside the mine. In addition, she was also a young woman training to become a trapeze artist. For all these reasons the script was considered unrealistic. Our story just did not fit traditional North Korean film tropes.«
- Anja Daelemans
Anja Daelemans
Born in 1967, in Belgium. She studied radio and television directing but soon concentrated on production. Comrade Kim Goes Flying is her feature debut.
Nicholas Bonner
Born in 1961, in United Kingdom, Bonner trained as a landscape architect. He has lived in Beijing for twenty years, where he organises cultural exchange programmes with North Korea. Since 2002, he has produced several documentaries. Comrade Kim Goes Flying is his directing debut.
Kim Gwang Hun
Born in1963, in North Korea. He studied film and theatre at the University of Pyongyang, and went on to primarily make films with a military theme.
