Concrete Utopia

media release:  South Korea | 2023 | DCP | 130 min. | Korean with English subtitles

Director: Um Tae-hwa

Cast: Lee Byung-hun, Park Bo-young, Park Seo-jun

Parasite-style class warfare meets the disaster movie in this highly entertaining Korean blockbuster. An apocalyptic earthquake levels Seoul, with only one apartment building left standing. As desperate outsiders scramble to gain entry to this high-rise paradise, its threatened residents seal themselves inside—only to begin turning on one another. Concrete Utopia won Best Film at the Grand Bell Awards (Korea’s Oscar equivalent), joining the ranks of the last three winners: Decision to Leave, Parasite, and Burning. Presented with the support of the Center for East Asian Studies at UW Madison.

Admission free for all screenings, seating limited. No admission 15 minutes after scheduled start times. Please visit our website for a complete listing of programs and descriptions.

PREMIERES: The latest and greatest in global cinema comes to Madison! Our popular Madison Premieres series continues on Thursday nights from January 25-February 29! Join us for early or exclusive looks at the most exciting films being created today from all corners of cinema, ranging from a major new works by arthouse icons (like Wim Wenders Anselm in 3-D!), invigorating debut features (Julio Torres’ Problemista and Felipe Gálvez Haberle’s The Settlers), an action-packed international blockbuster (Concrete Utopia from South Korea), and more! This calendar’s selection begins with a movie ranked high on many critics “Best of 2023” lists, Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest. This series was made possible by a generous donation from an anonymous cinephile.