Korean sales agent Finecut picked up the international rights for LEE Chang-dong’s highly anticipated new feature Burning ahead of this year’s American Film Market taking place in Santa Monica, CA. The film will mark the auteur’s long-awaited return since 2010’s Poetry and is currently in production with actor YOO Ah-in and Steven YEUN.

Burning is based on the short story ‘Barn Burning’ by famed Japanese author MURAKAMI Haruki, which first appeared in the pages of the New Yorker exactly 15 years ago this month. YOO plays delivery man Jong-soo while an international star YEUN plays Ben, a man who has everything. Newcomer JEON Jong-seo, who was hand-picked from auditions, will play Hae-mi.

YOO is one of the most popular young actors in Korea. His film credits include hits such as RYOO Seung-wan’s Veteran and LEE Joon-ik’s The Throne, both released in 2015. YEUN is known around the world for his leading role in the hit AMC series The Walking Dead. This year he appeared in BONG Joon-ho’s Netflix blockbuster Okja.

LEE is revered as one of the most respected filmmakers in Korea with his five credits to date having all been met with great acclaim. He debuted with Green Fish in 1997, opened the Busan International Film Festival with A Peppermint Candy two years later and earned MOON So-ri the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Rising Star and the Silver Lion for Best Director for himself at the Venice International Film Festival with Oasis in 2002. After a stint as Korea’s Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, LEE returned with Secret Sunshine, which won JEON Do-yeon the Best Actress Award from the Cannes Film Festival in 2007,  and then Poetry, for which he picked up Best Screenplay at Cannes in 2010.

Finecut has represented several of director LEE’s previous films, including A Peppermint Candy, Oasis and Poetry. Burning is being produced by Pine House, Now Films and Bom Films Production and will be distributed in Korea in mid-2018 through CGV Arthouse.