The Girl Princes 왕자가 된 소녀들

Film

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Feature Film
Documentary

This humorous documentary traces the history of Female Gukgeuk, a type of Korean musical theatre in which women play male roles.

Information

Programme History

Part of Queer East Festival 2026

Support

With thanks to Centre 151.

Director: Kim Hye-jung
Runtime: 79 Mins
Year: 2011
Country: South Korea

In 1950s South Korea, Female Gukgeuk, a form of musical theatre in which women played male roles, enjoyed a golden age. Travelling around the country, these performers were intensely popular, representing a liberated feminine energy that was otherwise suppressed in a male-dominated society. This 2011 documentary traces the history of this phenomenon and follows some of these legendary actors – by then in their seventies and eighties, and still acting – as they reminisce about their shared experiences, performances, and camaraderie. While the heyday of Female Gukgeuk has long passed, director Kim Hye-jung looks at the legacy of these ‘girl princes’, astutely scrutinising cultural tensions relating to gender performance, manliness, and disguise.