A STATE OF MIND

After extensive negotiations with the North Korean authorities, Director and Producer Daniel Gordon and Associate Producer Nicholas Bonner were granted unparalleled – and unrestricted – access to film two schoolgirl gymnasts as they prepared for the 2003 Mass Games – the biggest choreographed spectacle in the world. Pak Hyon Sun and Kim Song Yon train daily for hours at a time - outdoors on concrete no matter what the conditions. They train so they can perform to perfection for the country’s leader – Kim Jong Il, known as “TheGeneral”.

While A State of Mind brings never-before-seen images of state regulated schools, pubs and artistic performances, it is its daring ability to illustrate “the hardships of their lives in a manner almost never permitted by the Pyongyang government” (Washington Post) that makes this film a “fascinating” (Sunday Telegraph) documentary.