North South Man Woman

Local title
Põhi, lõuna, mees, naine
Director
Sun Kim, Morten Traavik
Country
Year
2025
Festival
29th Black Nights Film Festival
Programme
Genre

A refugee matchmaker fights to heal her divided homeland – one couple at a time.

An old Korean proverb – nam nam, buk nyeo – says the most beautiful women are in the North, and the most handsome men are in the South. But what happens when you try to bring them together?

Filmmakers Morten Traavik and Sun Kim journey across the Korean divide to follow Yujin Han, a sharp, charismatic entrepreneur born in North Korea and now founder of LoveStorya – a matchmaking agency with a radical mission: pairing North Korean refugee women with South Korean men. As Yujin navigates her roles as business owner, counsellor, and cultural bridge, she guides her clients through a minefield of social prejudice, emotional trauma, and ideological tension. Her own North-South marriage serves as the poster image for her work – but behind the scenes, her personal life begins to unravel, forcing her to confront the very challenges she helps others face.

Filmed over five years, with rare access and powerful archival footage, “North South Man Woman” is a raw, layered, and unexpectedly playful look at love in the shadow of history, where personal and political borders collide in the most intimate of ways.

Director
Sun Kim, Morten Traavik
Screenwriter
Sun Kim, Morten Traavik
Producer
Verona Meier, Anna Krasztev-Kovács
Cinematographer
Jānis Šēnbergs, Valdis Celmiņš
Editing
Gatis Belogrudovs, Uģis Olte
Music
Eric Väpnargård
Production
remont films, VFS films, Mirror&Story
Runtime
Language
Subtitles

Screenings

Screening040218 / Põhi, lõuna, mees, naine
SubtitlesEnglish
Screening duration
Screening053118 / Põhi, lõuna, mees, naine
SubtitlesEnglish
Screening duration
Screening090215 / Põhi, lõuna, mees, naine
SubtitlesEnglish
Screening duration
Trailer