Mija lives with her middle-school grandson in a small suburban city along the Han River. A fashionable and curious old lady, she unexpectedly takes a poetry class at a neighbourhood cultural center and is challenged to write her first poem. Her quest for inspiration leads her to observe the everyday life she once overlooked, discovering beauty in the ordinary. As she explores, Mija is surprised by newfound wonder, like a little girl discovering the world for the first time. However, when confronted with a harsh reality, she realizes that life may not be as beautiful as she once thought.
LEE Chang-dong began a career in theater in his twenties and then moved on to work as a novelist. He made his debut as a film director with GREEN FISH, a “one of a kind” Korean film noir. If GREEN FISH was an exploration of genre conventions and the real world, he continued his exploration of life and the cinema with PEPPERMINT CANDY, in which he experimented with a narrative using flashbacks, and OASIS, in which he questioned the nature of true communication between people. It was with these latter two films that he received critical acclaim as well as popular success not to mention international acclaim and accolades. OASIS earned LEE and lead actress MOON So-ri awards for Best Director and Best New Actress at the Venice Film Festival. In 2003, he was appointed as Minister of Culture and Tourism. When he was relieved from this official position, he directed his fourth film, SECRET SUNSHINE. The superb performance by JEON Do-yeon as the tormented Shin-ae in SECRET SUNSHINE earned her the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival in 2007. His fifth film, POETRY won the best screenplay award from the 63rd Cannes Film Festival and won the prestigious awards at various national and international film festivals. After POETRY, he will finally meet the audience again with BURNING.
LEE Joondong, YOUM Taesoon, CHOI Seongmin, Michel Saint-Jean, JUNG Myungsoo, LEE Seungho, LEE Jangho, LEE Dongha
YUN Junghee, LEE David, KIM Hira
