Ian Wild: Top Pick
After over a year of closure, we plan to open our doors again on Monday 17 May – the first date when government guidelines allow. Our board of trustees and our amazing team are busy getting everything ready to reopen, and we are prioritising customer safety above everything else. We plan to continue to operate with social distancing in place, working to just 25% capacity in the cinema until we are happy that it is safe to relax things further.
Our opening films went on sale a couple of weeks ago, and we have been delighted to see so many customers pre-book tickets. We have chosen to show some of the great films that had been released when we were closed to give everyone a chance to experience them on the big screen, and we have some exciting, new and little-seen titles as well.
It's hard to pick out a favourite amongst so many wonderful films, but one that took me by surprise in our opening programme was Lee Isaac Chung's Minari. After the fantastic success of the Oscar-winning Parasite, just before the first lockdown in March 2020, it seems appropriate to reopen with another Korean film. Sheffielders have always supported East Asian cinema at the Showroom, and we hope this film will be no exception. Minari is about a Korean family's move to Arkansas to make a fresh start. Their dream is to build a farm, live off the land and grow Korean vegetables for other immigrant families. Its title – Minari, is an edible plant known for its ability to root down and thrive in land others would find unforgiving.
A quietly dazzling film that offers an authentic depiction of the immigrant experience and the American dream, Minari overflows with humour and charm. It is a semi-autobiographical drama that paints a moving portrait of a Korean American family weathering all of life's joys and sorrows. We were delighted when the acclaimed Korean actor Youn Yuh-Jung won an Oscar for her portrayal of the mischievous and cantankerous grandmother who joins the family to provide childcare support and later becomes the mainstay who holds everything together as the family starts to break apart.
If you haven't already, do have a look at the film programme, we are very proud of it, and we think we have something that will appeal to everyone. We are looking forward to seeing everybody again in just a few weeks’ time.
Minari is showing from Monday 17 May, tickets are on sale now.
This article first featured in the Sheffield Telegraph on Thursday 6 May 2021.
