Propaganda

The film proceeds like a text written in a North Korean voice, attacking Western visual culture and the order of consumption. Advertisements, war footage, Hollywood scenes and news bulletins are lined up one after another. A voice over the top comments on each in turn. The tone is harsh and accusing from beginning to end. But the film is not a North Korean production. It is a satire made in New Zealand and directed by Slavko Martinov. It spread on the internet first as a genuine North Korean film and was taken for one for months; the situation came out when the director submitted it to festivals. The argument the film makes should be read as part of that form.