FRIENDS OF KIM

A film by RAPHAEL WILKING and HANS VAN DIJK

Hilarious and ultimately sobering account of the first time an international group of Kim Jong II sympathizers visits North Korea. Declared as a nation on the axis of evil by George W. Bush, North Korea is the country many love to hate.

FRIENDS OF KIM chronicles the 'International March for Korea's Peace and Reunification' organised by the Korean Friendship Association through North Korea. Its aim: to show solidarity with the regime and the North Korean people. The authorities even allowed some US citizens in and an American journalist from ABC.

The KFA, is a worldwide group of supporters of North Korea. They are young, idealistic and fed up with the consumerism of the Western world. Its leader is a 29 year old Spanish citizen, Alejandro Cao de Benos de Les y Perez. Originating from an aristocratic family he heads the organization in true North Korean fashion.

In 12 days the 22 participants of the March travel through a country full of monuments, propaganda and poverty. FRIENDS OF KIM is a film about idealism, trust and crime. It begins as a magical mystery tour but gradually some travelers discover that the "workers' paradise" is far from heavenly.

NETHERLANDS | 2006 | 55 minutes

www.friendsofkim.com