A special exhibition on filmmaker Lee Myung-se (Emu Cinema)

Emu Cinema, an independent arts theater in Jongno-gu, Seoul, is holding a special exhibition highlighting filmmaker Lee Myung-se and his works.

Four of his films -- “Their Last Love Affair” (1996), “Nowhere to Hide” (1999), “M” (2007), and his latest, “The Killers” (2024) -- will be screened throughout the month.

On Tuesday, Lee will hold a special talk with audience members on his movie “Nowhere to Hide,” celebrating the movie’s 25th anniversary since release.

“Lee Myung-se’s name is a vivid trace in Korean cinema history. His name itself is a genre here. As we follow his steps, we can see the new scenes opening in front of us,” Emu Cinema wrote in a statement introducing the special exhibition.

“Their Last Love Affair,” a melodrama flick featuring Kang Soo-yeon and Kim Gap-soo as a couple, is still mentioned as a flick that opened new horizons in Korean melodrama film.

While about 70 percent of the movie was shot in Busan, Lee also built three separate beach sets to better depict the scenes involving beach sand, skies reflected on the water, and seaside sunsets. Four 15 ton trucks were used to transport the water and sand.

“Nowhere to Hide” tells the tale of Woo (Park Joong-hoon), a detective on the trail of the mysterious gangster Chang Sung-min (Ann Sung-ki). As Sung-min is a master of disguise who always escapes the scene, cops have a hard time tracking him down. Eventually, they confront the master-criminal in the suburbs of a coal-mining town.

Emu Cinema’s special exhibition will be screening a 4K remastered version of “Nowhere to Hide.”

The scenes in the film feel especially realistic, thanks to the well-written scenario that Lee worked on after shadowing police officers for months. The movie also swept the majority of that year's local film awards, including the Best Film Award at 20th Blue Dragon Film Awards.

“M,” a 2007 psychological drama film starring Gang Dong-won, Lee Yeon-hee and Gong Hyo-jin, revolves around young author Min-woo (Gang) who is haunted by hallucinations and nightmares every night. While he can’t write a word for his next novel, he also doesn't feel right with his fiancee Eun-hye (Gong) after a beautiful young woman Mi-mi (Lee) begins to appear around him. Min-woo can't figure out whether Mi-mi is real or just a dream.

“The Killers” (Lumix Media)

“The Killers” is an anthology comprising four short films, which director Lee participated in. It opened in local theaters in October, and will be available at Emu Cinema through this exhibition.

The four short films offer different interpretations of Hemingway’s classic short story “The Killers,” with Shim Eun-kyoung taking the lead role in most of the segments.

Additional information on the special exhibition of Lee’s works and reservations for tickets is available at Emu Cinema’s official website.