Won Ji An and Jameela Jamil have officially signed on for the feature film Pyongyang Home Video, a co-production between Hollywood’s Imagine Entertainment and Korea’s Desert Bloom Pictures.
The project will be helmed by director Yoon Sung Hyun, known for his distinctive filmography including Bleak Night, Netflix’s Time to Hunt, and Coupang Play series Newtopia.
Inspired by true events, Pyongyang Home Video follows two sisters who grow up watching smuggled Hollywood VHS tapes in North Korea. The sisters use their imagination to endure hardship before their dramatic reunion years later.
In the film, Won will play Nari, who, along with her sister Hana, secretly watches Hollywood movies during childhood. When a neighbor reports their father’s video smuggling operation, they’re forced to escape North Korea. Throughout their perilous journey, the sisters recall scenes from their favorite films to maintain hope. Five years later, Nari meets American talk show host Serena (Jamil) and attempts a live broadcast reunion with her sister—a plan that takes unexpected turns.
The screenplay comes from Liz Kerin, author of the Night’s Edge series. The production team includes Janice Chua (producer of Crazy Rich Asians) from Imagine Entertainment and Desert Bloom Pictures led by Jennice Lee, whose credits include Along With the Gods and Apple TV’s The Big Door Prize. Desert Bloom’s co-CEO Hugh Cha and producer Park Hyung Jin (Exhuma) recently established Albatross Pictures in Korea to pursue independent projects alongside collaborations with Desert Bloom.
Won Ji An, who made a powerful debut in Netflix’s D.P., solidified her global presence with her role in Squid Game 2. Her upcoming projects include JTBC drama Waiting for Gyeong Do (literal title), Disney Plus series Made in Korea, and the espionage thriller Tempest.
Jameela Jamil, known for her role as Tahani in Netflix’s The Good Place, continues her multifaceted career as an actress, writer, broadcaster, and activist. She’ll next voice Questa in Pixar’s Elio (releasing June 20th) and appear in Netflix Christmas movie A Merry Little Ex-Mas and People We Meet on Vacation for Netflix and 3000 Pictures.
Imagine Entertainment’s Chua expressed excitement about the project: “‘Pyongyang Home Video’ is a powerful showing of the strength of imagination—something Jennice Lee of Desert Bloom immediately connected with when I first shared it with her. Our creative partnership reflects what this film stands for – it celebrates the transformative nature of storytelling: how it entertains, liberates and heals. It is a dream to help bring this vision to life with such a remarkable team of creative voices from the U.S. and Korea.”
Desert Bloom’s Lee and Cha added: “This project hits at the core of what we care about—telling locally grounded stories that speak to the world. ‘Pyongyang Home Video’ is both timely and human, and we believe its emotional truth will connect far beyond borders. We’re excited to be partnering with Imagine and Janice, whose creative vision aligns closely with our mission.”
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Source: Desert Bloom Pictures
