밀수
Crime
South Korea
Korean, English and Czech subtitles
Directing: Ryoo Seung-wan
Starring: Kim Hye-soo, Yum Jung-ah, Zo In-sung, Park Jeong-min
Distributor: NEW Contents Panda

TRAILER

When a new chemical plant is built near a picturesque coastal village, the local haenyeo (female sea divers) see their livelihood threatened. One day they are offered a job, but it is not quite legal. This creates a game in the world of smuggling, whose players become entangled in an increasingly complex web of lies.

Director Ryoo Seung-wan has made a Korean summer hit, and not for the first time. Since the release of the action film Veteran (2015), each of his films has been eagerly anticipated by domestic audiences, whether it was the unsettling The Battleship Island (2017) or the thrilling Escape from Mogadishu (2021). As viewers of Korean films are already accustomed to, we can look forward to a unique mix of genres, this time with an action thriller set in the colorful garb of the vibrant seventies’ era. The fight choreography will not only please the Oldboy fan club, and the underwater scenes definitely don’t have to hide in Avatar’s shadow.

콘크리트 유토피아
Disaster thriller
South Korea
Korean, English and Czech subtitles
Directing: Um Tae-hwa
Starring: Lee Byung-hu, Park Seo-joon, Park Bo-young, Park Ji-hu
Distributor: Lotte Entertainment

TRAILER

After a severe earthquake, Seoul lay in ruins. All but one apartment building collapsed. Compared to the nightmare that unfolds outside, it becomes a seemingly safe utopia for its residents. However, it doesn’t take long for more and more survivors to gather around the house. The original inhabitants feel threatened, and even among them, conflict is inevitable.

The Korean Oscar contender was directed by Um Tae-hwa, seven years after he won Best New Director at the Korean Grand Bell Awards. His social commentary with elements of disaster satire stands on the solid foundation formed by the outstanding performances of the acting ensemble, dominated by Hollywood-blessed Lee Byung-hun (The Magnificent Seven, 2016), rising star Park Seo-joon (Parasite, 2019) or popular series star Park Bo-young (Strong Girl Bong-soon, 2017).