How 'Hana Korea' benefited from the collaboration of Denmark and South Korea

Denmark and South Korea may not sound like natural bedfellows for co-production. Yet drama Hana Korea, the tale of a North Korean woman attempting to make a new life in South Korea which world premiered in Busan’s Flash Forward section, proves that seemingly unconventional partnerships can work. 

“Normally, in international co-productions you split the different tasks,” says Sonntag Pictures’ Sara Stockmann, co-producer alongside Seesaw Pictures' Heejung Oh. “But on Hana Korea we really made it equal in the sense that, throughout all production phases, there were not only Danish or Korean crew, but we were all together as a team, inviting both Korean and Danish talent to collaborate.” 

“I think [our crew] really understood that it's not going to be not 'my' way, it's not going to be 'your' way, it's going to be something else,” adds Oh. The production , which took place across September and October 2024, was supported by the expertise of South Korean production service providers Nine Tailed Fox, whose work includes high-budget productions like Netflix's XO Kitty and Amazon MGM Studios' Butterfly.

Here, Stockmann and Oh speak to Screen Global Production about building a uniquely organic co-production, the challenges of turning a documentary into a narrative feature and crafting a story that resonates beyond borders. 

At what point did you decide that Hana Korea would no longer be a documentary, but a narrative feature? 

SARA STOCKMANN: Frederik Sølberg, the director, comes from documentary films and so did we. But during the first research of the story, when we already had reached out to Heejung and Seesaw, what really came across was the North Korean woman's transformation from being an oppressed citizen to becoming a free individual. And that process and struggle was what was interesting. To be able to dive into that transformation, it was the one point we felt that the fictional way of storytelling would unveil that process more easily. 

Hana Korea; Source: Stephanie Stal Axelgard

HEEJUNG OH: We wanted to create a story that feels truthful to the protagonists we've been following, but also the North Korean refugee community. But also, as Sara said, it was very important to really capture the essence of the story. We wanted to create an immersive viewing experience, rather than something informative or factual.  

What was the working relationship like between the Danish and South Korean teams? 

OH: It's been not easy at all. What we learned through the long process of collaboration, is we constantly lean into discomfort. We didn't want it to be convenient. It was very important that we both understood it's not going to be very easy, or it's not going to be very comfortable. We believe that beauty lies in that discomfort or messy way of collaborating. I think [our crew] really understood that it's not going to be not my way, it's not going to be your way, it's going to be something else. 

STOCKMANN: That also speaks to the special kind of concept we have developed this co-production under. Normally, in international co-productions you split the different tasks. But on Hana Korea we really made it equal in the sense that, throughout all production phases, there were not only Danish or Korean crew, but we were all together as a team, inviting both Korean and Danish talent to collaborate. 

When you came up with this more unconventional collaboration, was there any anxiety in terms of securing funding?

STOCKMANN: Because both Heejung and I have experience with international co-productions where we have gone the more traditional way, we were met with an interest. People were curious. Of course, we had to make an effort to invite the funders into our way of thinking! But I think that we ended up being really backed up and supported by both the Danish Film Institute and the Korean Film Council.  

OH: It's been a long journey, but I think they all found refreshing.  

Hana Korea; Source: Stephanie Stal Axelgard

As the industry increasingly pushed for authenticity, were there any worries on your part about how the film, having such a strong Danish influence, could be perceived; particularly when premiering at Busan?

STOCKMANN: I am anxious and curious for the film to meet its audience. I think for us to being invited to Busan has also been one of the greatest moments in this six-year-long journey, because we felt that was the best way for the film to open and meet its audience. 

OH: I’m not anxious! My nightmare would be that we had made a film that I know that won't feel authentic or truthful to Korean audience when it's made by a foreign director or foreign team. That's why we've been working really hard on it. It might still feel foreign to people, but that's because what we focus on is to make a very non-sensational portrait of North Koreans.  

There have been many films, either fiction or documentary, about [North Koreans’] pain, their struggle or their poverty. We really wanted to stay away from that direction. And then with agency, with dignity, we wanted to really keep it authentic.  

Hana Korea; Source: Stephanie Stal Axelgard

During the production and financing, we met a lot of people who were excited about this North Korean element. And for me and Sara and Frederik, it was really the story of a young women's transformation, truly liberating herself not just from the system, but also from a lot of things [in life] that have been oppressing her.

That has a lot of resonance, not necessarily just about a North Korea/South Korea narrative or context. It speaks to a lot of young women around the world, especially the division – it's not just the history of Berlin or Korea, it's still happening around the world today.