Hunger Games posters released as 'propaganda' ahead of Mockingjay: Part 1

The collection of images give an insight into the world of Panem

Lily Elsington, 6, captures the spirit of the next generation of District citizens: ready, willing, and eager to fuel the Panem of tomorrow. (Lionsgate)

A series of startling “propaganda” portraits depicting “district heroes” from The Hunger Games has been released.

The images portray residents from district 3,4,6,7,9, 10 and 12 from the fictional world of Panem and symbols of their unique district. There is also a description on each of the “heroes” praising their contribution to the nation.

In one hard-hitting image, an amputee from District 7 sits with a wooden leg on his lap and a pile of logs by his side. While in another, a woman from District 9 dressed as a farm worker with a sheaf of wheat behind her.

But perhaps, the most stark and meaningful picture is that of an impoverished, young blonde girl from District 12, who sits on a bench with an apple in her hands. She is covered in coal soot and has a miner’s helmet next to her, denoting the primary produce of the district.

District 12 is of course home to heroine, Katniss Everdeen, played by Jennifer Lawrence, and the girl in the photo is reminiscent of her sister Primrose.

The portraits were unveiled earlier this week on the capitol.pn site, the “official” site of the authoritarian regime of Panem. The site is run by film studio Lionsgate, who have been using viral marketing on the site to promote the Hunger Games franchise.

The collection of seven posters is part of the promotion for the forthcoming film The Hunger Games Mockingjay: Part 1, which will be the third instalment in the franchise.

The previous film finished on a tantalising cliff hanger with Katniss escaping the Quarterquell and joining the resistance.

The movie franchise is based on the successful young adult novels by Suzanne Collins.And as marketing campaigns go, the portraits are remarkable because they are reminiscent of propaganda posters in a Stalin-led Russia and Nazi Germany, which also championed workers producing goods for the collective nation.

‘The Hunger Games Mockingjay: Part 1’ will be released in November this year.