An uncontacted tribe | 2022

Experimental Film, Full HD, 16:9, Color, 5.1.20 min.

Screening: Projection/ Installation: Korean Paper, Wood

An Uncontacted Tribe is an experimental film that traces a ritual journey through endangered ecosystems, weaving together dance, 3D animation, and spatial sound. The work draws on the concept of the "transboundary protected area" to reframe the DMZ — the heavily militarized border zone between South and North Korea — as an unintended sanctuary for wildlife. Sealed off from human activity for decades, the demilitarized zone has quietly become one of the most biodiverse habitats on the Korean Peninsula.

At the center of the film is a shaman figure possessed by the spirit of the red-crowned crane — a bird long revered in Korean culture as a symbol of longevity, purity, and transcendence. Through this possession, the viewer is invited into a mythological flight beyond geopolitical boundary and physical limit — a sensory journey through uncharted territory.

The film is presented as an paper installation, with handmade Korean paper (hanji) suspended throughout the projection space — extending the film's themes of fragility, tradition, and the natural world into the physical environment of the viewer.

Narration script: Link

Film Credit:

Directed and Written by Hanna Noh  Dance and Choreography: Minseong Seo  Voiceover: Jan Williams Camera: Rikisaburo Sato/ Camera Assistant: Sara Amir Salem, Sebastian Jaimes Light: Sebastian Jaimes, Jonas Burlage Costume design: Charlotte Morache VFX: Jiha Jeon 3D graphic design: Jiha Jeon, Hanna Noh Color grading: Fabiana Cardalda, Jiha Jeon Music and Sound design: Pedro Ramírez Sound Mixing: Judith Nordbrock Title/ Ending credit/ Poster design: N&MS  Production management: Petra Clemens Accounting: Renate Voget 

Production of Academy of Media Arts Cologne

Supported by Academy of Media Arts Cologne, Koreanisches Kulturzentrum, and NRW Kultursekreteriat

© 2022 KHM/ Hanna Noh

Exhibition view,HD, 16:9, Color, stereo, 1min14sec