What is coming to the UK Cinemas.
July 29th 2011
Poetry / 시
Director: Lee Chang-dong (이창동)
Starring: Yoon Jung-hee(윤정희), Lee David (이다윗), Kim Hee-ra (김희라) & Ahn Nae-sang (안내상)
Running time: 141 min
Korean Release Date: 13/05/2010
Number of Korean Admissions: 220,213 (as of 08/008/2010) 
Synopsis
Mija lives with her middle-schooler grandson in a small suburban city located along the Han River. She is a dandy old lady who likes to dress up in flower-decorated hats and fashionable outfits, but she is also an unpredictable character with an inquisitive mind. By chance she takes a ‘poetry’ class at a neighborhood cultural center and is challenged to write a poem for the first time in her life. Her quest for poetic inspiration begins with observing the everyday life she never intentionally took notice of before to find beauty within it. And with this, Mija is delightfully surprised with newfound trepidation as if she were a little girl discovering things for the first time in her life. But when she is suddenly faced with a reality harsh beyond her imagination, she realizes perhaps life is not as beautiful as she had thought it is... (KOFIC)
Some details.
Lee Chang-dong's critically acclaimed Poetry is scheduled for release this Friday across the UK. I had the chance to see it in Busan (it's now called 'Busan' with a 'B' as opposed to Pusan with a 'P' - although this has been true for sometime this year is the first year PIFF has changed its name to BIFF) last year, and I rate it as one of Lee's finest pieces of work. It's not an easy watch, but let's face it, Lee's films are not for the masses. Unlike many releases, which often exclude many areas of the UK, Arrow films have made sure that Poetry can be seen in most areas of the country. Naturally you can't expect it to be screened in every city, but it seems that most areas of the country of the covered - from Inverness in Scotland to Southampton in the far South of the country. Here is the list of where it's being screened. And here is my review of the film.
20th August 2010
Mother / 마더
Director: Bong Joon-ho (봉준호)
Starring: Kim Hye-ja (김혜자), Won Bin (원빈), Jin Goo (진구)
Running Time: 128 min
Korean Release Date: 28/05/2009
Korean Distributor: CJ Entertainment
Synopsis
The film follows Hye-ja (same name as the actress that plays her - Kim Hye-ja (김혜자) as she takes care of her absent-minded son, Do Joon, played by Won
Bin (원빈). Although he is 27, he is very childlike - he has a memory
like a gold fish and has little sense everyday dangers. One evening he
gets very drunk and subsequently thown out of a bar and then follows a
school girl home - he is set on sleeping with her. She turns down his
proposition, throws a rock at him and then chases him away. But she is
found dead the next day and Won Bin is the key suspect. However, his
mother doesn't believe he is capable of such a think and is determined
to prove his innocence.
Info on Release
As far as I know, the film will be released at the ICA on Friday 20th August ahead of its DVD release on 20th September. It really is a stupendous film, which encompasses Bong Joon-ho's sheer talent as a filmmaker. Here ismy review.
Treeless Mountain / 나무없는 산
Director: Kim So-yong (김소영)
Starring: Kim Hee-yeon (김희연), Kim Seong-hee (김성희), Lee Soo-ah (이수아), Kim Mi-hyang
(김미향)
Running Time: 89 min
Korean Release Date: 27/08/2009
Number of Korean Admissions: 7,086 admissions
Korean Distributor: CJ Entertainment
UK Release Date: 8 January 2010
UK Distributor: Soda Pictures
Synopsis
This
internationally acclaimed film by Kim So-yong centers on Jin, 7, and
Bin, 4, who are left in the care of an alcoholic aunt while their
mother searches for their missing father. They wait for their mother in
earnest while busily filling the piggy bank she gave them. But the
mother does not keep her promise to return once the piggy bank is full,
and Jin and Bin are again forced to move, this time to their
grandparents' house.
Source: Korea Times
Screening Venues Renoir Cinema, London Some thoughts (Copied from Film of the Month) Like
many indepdendent films, this takes a while to get going. Howard
Feinstein from Screen International writes, "As in In Between Days /
방황의 날들 (2006) (Kim's previous film), the pacing is slow, yet pitch
perfect for the tale that unfolds. It is not for every viewer, and
while the technique occasionally feels mannered, the payoff makes it
worthwhile." He later writes " The filmmaker works wonders with the
child actors, who appear relaxed and natural in front of a camera that
is nearly on top of them." And Empre write "So (Kim) coaxes superlative
performances from her adorable leads, creating an enchanting,
challenging film without ever sliding into sentiment" I have yet to see
this film, but from all accounts, it's a film you shouldn't miss. The
director, Kim So-yong is an award-winning film maker who's well known
for her first feature film, In Between Days. Treeless Mountain seems to
have further cemented her reputation as a very gifted filmmaker. She
works with her American husband, Bradley Rust Gray, whom has
collaborated with her on both feature length films in different
capacities from producer to scriptwriter. In fact most of the crew
working on Treeless Mountain are not Korean, which is quite interesting
in itself, including cinematographer, Anne Misawa. Given
that this film has a PG certificate, perhaps it is a film for all the
family, though its lack of pace may deter many. It is coming to UK
cinemas this Friday, so don't miss out! Of course, this film, like
Breathless, featured in the London Korean Film Festival, so if you
missed out then, here is your chance! More news on when and where it is
screening in the next day or so. Sources: Screendaily Trailer (with English Subtitles)
Greenwich Picturehouse, London
Cambridge Arts Picturehouse
Newcastle Tyneside
Irish Film Institute, Dublin
Lighthouse, Dublin
January
is fast becoming a month for independent Korean cinema with the release
of this film on Friday (8th Jan) and the release of Yang Ik June's
(양익준) stupendous film, Breathless / 똥파리 on Janurary 29. Like
Breathless, Treeless Mountain / 나무없는 산 has been a critical hit for its
stunning cinematography and powerful performances from the young cast.
In this month's Empire, they give the film 4 stars and I have yet to
read something that criticizes the film. Given that the UK, for the
most part, imports more of the commercial flare of Korean cinema, or
films from Korea's directorial elite, I urge you to seek out these
little gems. 
Empire Magazine (Feb 2010)