Red Chapel: Comedy in North Korea = Det røde kapel Kim Jong-Il's Comedy Club (2009)
A journalist with no scruples and a pair of Danish comedians travel to North Korea with a mission to use humour to uncover the truth behind one of the world's most notorious regimes. On the pretext of being a small Danish theatre troupe on a cultural exchange, the filmmaker was granted permission by the North Korean government to stage a performance for a select audience in the capital. In reality, the troupe was comprised of an unscrupulous journalist, Mads Brugger, and two Danish/Korean comedians, Jacob and Simon, of whom the former is handicapped. Their goal is to use humour to expose the intricate effects of an oppressive regime. The film follows the troupe as they are lovingly yet firmly escorted by a motherly government employee around the important historical sights, and as they 'collaborate' with other government officials on their performance.
Primary Title
- Red Chapel: Comedy in North Korea = Det røde kapel
Secondary Title
- Kim Jong-Il's Comedy Club
Date Broadcast
- Saturday 22 August 2015
Release Year
- 2009
Start Time
- 16 : 10
Finish Time
- 17 : 00
Duration
- 50:00
Channel
- BBC World News
Broadcaster
- British Broadcasting Corporation
Programme Description
- A journalist with no scruples and a pair of Danish comedians travel to North Korea with a mission to use humour to uncover the truth behind one of the world's most notorious regimes. On the pretext of being a small Danish theatre troupe on a cultural exchange, the filmmaker was granted permission by the North Korean government to stage a performance for a select audience in the capital. In reality, the troupe was comprised of an unscrupulous journalist, Mads Brugger, and two Danish/Korean comedians, Jacob and Simon, of whom the former is handicapped. Their goal is to use humour to expose the intricate effects of an oppressive regime. The film follows the troupe as they are lovingly yet firmly escorted by a motherly government employee around the important historical sights, and as they 'collaborate' with other government officials on their performance.
Classification
- Unknown
Owning Collection
- Television Vault
Broadcast Platform
- Television
Languages
- English
- Danish
Captioning Languages
- English
Captions
Live Broadcast
- No
Rights Statement
- Made for the University of Auckland's educational use as permitted by the Screenrights Licensing Agreement.
Subjects
- Documentary films--Denmark
- Nationalism--Korea (North)
- Propaganda, North Korean--Social aspects
- Korea (North)--Social conditions
Genres
- Comedy
- Documentary
- Politics
Contributors
- Mads Brügger (Director)
- Mads Brügger (Narrator)
- Simon Jul Jørgensen (Actor)
- Jacob Nossell (Actor)
- Danmarks Radio (Production Unit)
- Peter Engel (Producer)
- The Why Foundation (Funder)
Subjects
- Documentary films--Denmark
- Nationalism--Korea (North)
- Propaganda, North Korean--Social aspects
- Korea (North)--Social conditions