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IMDbPro

Liberation Day

  • 20162016
  • 1h 40m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
847
YOUR RATING
Liberation Day (2016)
Under the loving but firm guidance of an old fan turned director and cultural diplomat and to the surprise of a whole world, the ex-Yugoslavian cult band Laibach becomes the first foreign rock group ever to perform in the fortress state of North Korea. Confronting strict ideology and cultural differences, the band struggles to get their songs through the needle's eye of censorship before they can be unleashed on an audience never before exposed to alternative rock'n'roll. Meanwhile, propaganda loudspeakers are being set up at the border between the two Koreas and a countdown to war is announced. The hills are alive...with the sound of music.
Play trailer2:18
1 Video
8 Photos
  • Documentary
  • Music
ALL ART IS PROPAGANDA. George Orwell ...AND ALL PROPAGANDA IS ART. LaibachALL ART IS PROPAGANDA. George Orwell ...AND ALL PROPAGANDA IS ART. LaibachALL ART IS PROPAGANDA. George Orwell ...AND ALL PROPAGANDA IS ART. Laibach
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
847
YOUR RATING
  • Directors
    • Ugis Olte
    • Morten Traavik
  • Writer
    • Morten Traavik(story)
  • Stars
    • Boris Benko
    • Tomaz Cubej
    • Milan Fras
Top credits
  • Directors
    • Ugis Olte
    • Morten Traavik
  • Writer
    • Morten Traavik(story)
  • Stars
    • Boris Benko
    • Tomaz Cubej
    • Milan Fras
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 7User reviews
    • 22Critic reviews
    • 65Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 4 wins & 1 nomination

    Videos1

    Liberation Day
    Trailer 2:18
    Liberation Day

    Photos8

    Liberation Day (2016)
    Liberation Day (2016)
    Liberation Day (2016)
    Liberation Day (2016)
    Morten Traavik in Liberation Day (2016)
    Morten Traavik in Liberation Day (2016)
    Morten Traavik in Liberation Day (2016)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Boris Benko
    • Selfas Self
    Tomaz Cubej
    • Selfas Self
    Milan Fras
    • Selfas Self
    Janez Gabric
    • Selfas Self
    Tomislav Gangl
    • Selfas Self
    Matej Gobec
    • Selfas Self
    Primoz Hladnik
    • Selfas Self
    Luka Jamnik
    • Selfas Self
    Mary Sun Kim
    • Selfas Self
    Laibach
    Laibach
    • Themselvesas Themselves
    Rok Lopatic
    • Selfas Self
    Gregor Musa
    • Selfas Self
    Ivan Novak
    • Selfas Self
    Saso Pusnik
    • Selfas Self
    Mina Spiler
    • Selfas Self
    Morten Traavik
    • Selfas Self
    Slavoj Zizek
    Slavoj Zizek
    • Selfas Self
    • Directors
      • Ugis Olte
      • Morten Traavik
    • Writer
      • Morten Traavik(story)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Connections
      Features The Flower Girl (1972)
    • Soundtracks
      The Sound of Music
      Performed by Laibach

      Played at the start of this movie, when the goat tries to climb the church

    User reviews7

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    liberation or manipulation?
    North Korea may be the most talked and the lesser known country of the planet. It's a closed and supervised nation which is practically disconnected from the rest of the world, and who let itself be filmed very seldom, by few people and in a well filtered manner. 'Laibach' is an anarchist band of metal rock from Slovenia, which had its peak moment of glory more than three decades ago when it brought its contribution to the fall of the Iron Curtain and of the Communism system and dismantling of the country that was known for much of the 20th century as Yugoslavia. The two came together in the summer of 2015 in an incredible event which can be of huge importance or can be just a footnote in history. The first concert of a Western (or at least European) rock band in North Korea. Until history decides about the importance of the event, we have this documentary film named Liberation Day which I have seen in the last screening of the DocAviv International Documentary Film Festival in Tel Aviv.

    Watching this film is a multi-layered experience. We see a door semi-open, or a crack in a wall of mis-communication or lack of communication – I think these words or some similar are being used in the film – to a closed world. But we also know that not all could be filmed, and not everything was shown to the guests. While the members of the band and the team that came with them seem to buy into much of what is being served to them, there is a lot that is not being said that needs to be taken into consideration. After all, the members of the Laibach band not only came originally from a similar political system, maybe not that extreme, but based on the same principles, but also fought against it, and contributed – with their music and public attitude – to their fall. So the question can be asked – why did they accept the censorship and the rules of engagement defined by their hosts? Were they manipulated? The answer is not simple and the ambiguous quote that opens the film describes their approach – any form of art (in their opinion) has its component of propaganda and manipulation.

    (Yes, indeed, but dosing differs.)

    Some of the images in the film are memorable. The beginning brings together crowds on stadiums gathered for rock concerts (in the West) or for big propaganda shows (in North Korea) and suggests a parallel. The huge statues of the Korean rulers and the ceremonies of bringing flowers and bowing to the monuments are impressive, even if one may disagree with the message that is being conveyed. Some of the situations shown on screen – censorship, controlled performances with selected audiences – are familiar for somebody who lived under the Communist system. Other look simply surrealistic. The music of Laibach and the deep voice of the soloist remember us again on the background that what is important is the art and that its message needs not be explicit. A rock band concert in North Korea is an event. This film is an event. Viewers need to take this film as an open exercise and do their own reading.
    helpful•3
    3
    • dromasca
    • May 21, 2017

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 31, 2017 (Latvia)
    • Countries of origin
      • Latvia
      • Norway
      • Slovenia
    • Official sites
      • Liberation Day film
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Storyville: When Rock Arrived in North Korea
    • Production companies
      • VFS Films
      • Traavik
      • Norsk Fjernsyn
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 40 minutes
    • Color
      • Color

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