Celluloid serenade Diplomacy on film

Among Donald Trump’s diverse negotiating tools at his disposal yesterday was a short film, in the style of a Hollywood trailer, starring the US president and Kim Jong-un. Using an ipad, the US president played the glossy production to the North Korean leader, which a voiceover said was about “two men, two leaders, one destiny”. At one point, it features a montage with babies and car factories, suggesting what a prosperous future for North Korea could look like if it agreed to give up its nuclear arsenal.

It spliced together images including military jets, artillery, and a basketball being slam dunked. The narrator said it was a “special moment in time” and that Kim had a choice – “a great life, or more isolation”. Questions were then asked – would Kim become a “hero” to his people? Would he “shake the hand of peace”?

The trailer concluded: “The future remains to be written.” Mr Trump said: “We had it made up. I showed it to him... and I think he loved it.”