KOREA FOUNDATION

The vast majority of South Koreans have never been to North Korea, and vice versa. However, a film director from faraway Austria frequents the two Koreas and maintains exchanges with people from both sides through cinematic art. She is Brigitte Weich, the film director who drew worldwide attention with her 2009 documentary Hana, dul, sed… In an interview with the KF, the director, now in Korea on the “KF Documentary Filmmakers Visit Korea Program”, spoke about her impressions of the two Koreas and the real picture of North Korea that has long remained veiled, a mystery to the outside world.

Good morning! Thank you very much for taking time out of your tight schedule to give this interview. Would you please briefly introduce yourself and tell us what brought you here?

Good morning. I am Brigitte Weich, a documentary film director from Austria. I worked for many years in the film business, but I never thought of becoming a director. Then in the early 2000s, I went to North Korea to attend the Pyongyang International Film Festival, where I learned about the national women’s soccer team there. I was intrigued and created a documentary of them, Hana, dul, sed…, as my directorial debut. This time, I have come to Korea on the “KF Documentary Filmmakers Visit Korea Program”. While here, I will meet with people from the Busan International Film Festival and Seoul Film Commission and discuss diverse ways of working together.

Is this your first visit to South Korea?

I have been to South Korea twice before but stayed only briefly, just looking around the soccer field. Therefore, I feel almost like this is my first visit, very special and meaningful. I spent more than 10 years making my documentary, studying North Korea and gathering information about the country. However, I feel I know little about South Korea, and I will try to learn as much as I can this time. Because I will only be able to understand Korea, Koreans, and the Korean Peninsula when I have knowledge of both North and South, I will meet as many people here as possible. Of course, most of them will be people connected with film or soccer.

In 2009, Hana, dul, sed… turned heads at film festivals around the world. It is presumed to be the first film made outside North Korea that features North Korean women’s soccer players. How did you come to make the film?

In the beginning, I didn’t intend to make the film myself. I worked in the film business but dealt mostly with expenses and budget matters at film companies or festivals. So, when the North Koreans I had met in Pyongyang proposed the production of a film about their women’s soccer players, I simply thought of connecting them with an Austrian director.
  However, as the North Korean team fared well, posting excellent records at various international competitions, my mind began to change. I decided to direct the film myself, though I was to suffer great difficulties, as film production requires significant time and money. I became more committed to my decision in 2003 when I spent more than 10 days with the team, covering the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in Thailand, and became quite close with the athletes. My interest in the project grew more and more, and I thought, “No one but me should do it. Let’s not even mention it to the producers and directors (laughs).”

Could you tell us about the meaning of the title, Hana, dul, sed…?

When we learn a foreign language, we usually start with numbers, don’t we? We learn “Thank you,” “I love you,” and then the numbers, “hana, dul, sed.” Language barriers may divide and keep people apart, but language of course can also be a tool for improving communication and relations. I titled the film Hana, dul, sed… with the hope that such words will become the starting point of exchange. They were the Korean words I had heard most frequently while covering the North Korean team. When athletes exercise, they usually shout “hana, dul, sed.” I heard it day and night.

Recently, inter-Korean relations have been in a state of change. As a documentary film director, how do you see the latest developments, including summit meetings between the two Koreas, and between North Korea and the United States?

I often get this question, but it is difficult to give a definite answer. I may have a better understanding of North Korea than ordinary Europeans, and I have been to the country several times, but it doesn’t mean that I have any particular expertise when it comes to diplomacy. Inter-Korean relations have repeatedly improved or worsened with the shifts of political power. Therefore, one cannot view the current atmosphere in purely positive terms. However, I believe the two Koreas will surely work out solutions. At the time of German unification, few thought East Germany and West Germany could become one. Nothing is impossible. I believe South and North Korea can do so, too, and I wish for peace on the Korean Peninsula.

Please tell us about your visit this time. Would you like to say something to the KF Newsletter readers?

First of all, I would like to say thank you to the Korea Foundation for the “KF Documentary Filmmakers Visit Korea Program”. Thanks to the program, I have been able to meet many nice people in the industry and build networks with several institutions and related personnel. As I go back after receiving such encouragement and inspiration, they will likely have a positive influence on my new work. I have been able to communicate and exchange with good people in both North and South Korea, but they cannot talk directly with each other, and this reality saddens me deeply.
  I sincerely hope and pray that all Koreans will meet face-to-face and freely come and go someday. I hope my film will play its part in facilitating cultural exchange between the two countries. Also, I would like to offer my best wishes to the South Korean team competing at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in France next year. North Korea was unable to qualify for the final tournament, but I will still be cheering on both the North and South.

Interviewed by Kim Daniel