sad things

North Korea Finally Got to See a Western-Made Movie, and It Was Bend It Like Beckham

This week, to commemorate the tenth anniversary of diplomatic ties between Britain and North Korea, Bend It Like Beckham was shown on the latter country’s state-run TV network, generally the home of government-approved news programs that feature very little early Keira Knightley footage. British ambassador to South Korea Martin Uden tweeted: “Happy Christmas in Pyongyang. On 26/12 Bend it like Beckham was 1st ever western-made film to air on TV.” This is all very sad, but on the plus side: In fifteen years, some hot shot North Korean director may well be explaining in interviews how he first fell in love with movies when he saw Bend It Like Beckham for the first time. [ArtsBeat/NYT]

North Korea Finally Got to See a Western-Made Movie, and It Was Bend It Like Beckham