Orchestral Manoeuvres in the North — television broadcast

I was invited by the Goethe-Institut Korea to document the visit of the Munich Chamber Orchestra to Pyongyang. The resulting documentary, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the North, was scheduled for broadcast on 3sat on December 17, airing between 7:20 and 8:00 pm as part of the program KULTURZEIT.

Making the film

I directed and filmed the documentary myself. The project followed a short but intensive exchange between the Munich Chamber Orchestra and students at the Kim Won Gyun Conservatory. Over the course of three days, the musicians rehearsed together, held chamber music classes, and prepared a joint concert.

Rather than explaining the context, I focused on the process. The film stays close to rehearsals, lessons, and informal moments between musicians.

Working under constraint

Filming in North Korea meant working within strict limits. Time, movement, and access remained tightly controlled. Because of this, I concentrated on details—faces, gestures, and sound—rather than on coverage or explanation.

As a result, the film relies on observation rather than narration. It allows the exchange to unfold through music and interaction.

Recognition and response

After completion, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the North received a Vimeo Staff Pick. The film was also nominated for the German Web Video Award in the For Your Information category.

These acknowledgements reflected the film’s reception, not its intention. The project was never designed as a statement, but as a record.

Music as exchange

The initiative, arranged by the Goethe-Institut Korea, created a space where musicians from very different backgrounds could work together. Despite language barriers and cultural distance, rehearsal provided a shared structure.

Classical music functioned as a working language. Through repetition and listening, a quiet form of dialogue emerged.

Looking back

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the North documents a brief encounter shaped by limitation, curiosity, and care. The film does not attempt to explain North Korea or interpret its systems. Instead, it observes what happens when people meet through practice.

The broadcast on 3sat marked another step in sharing that observation. The film remains a contained record of music as exchange rather than message.