State Television

N. Koreans See Bend It Like Beckham

First Western movie to air in rogue nation.

Can we expect Kim Jong Il’s blurb on the DVD cover? Thanks to the British Embassy, North Koreans saw their first Western film ever when the country's state television, usually devoted to disseminating regime propaganda, celebrated the 10th anniversary of North Korea's diplomatic relations with Great Britain over the weekend. The state channel aired the British comedy "Bend it Like Beckham," in which a young Sikh girl dreams of soccer stardom. The two-hour movie was edited into a one-hour broadcast, and featured a message about North Korea's relationship with Britain. “Happy Christmas in Pyongyang," the British ambassador to South Korea tweeted. "On 26/12 Bend it like Beckham was 1st ever western-made film to air on TV.”