Korean Classic ‘Take Care of My Cat’ Acquired by Kani Releasing for 25th Anniversary Re-Release (EXCLUSIVE)

North American distributor Kani Releasing has secured rights to Jeong Jae-eun’s “Take Care of My Cat” from South Korean company Barunson E&A, planning a 25th anniversary theatrical return in summer 2026.

Jeong’s 2001 debut chronicles the year following graduation for five close friends whose bonds begin to fracture. The ensemble includes Lee Yo-won as Hae-joo, employed at a brokerage firm, and Ok Ji-young as Ji-young, an aspiring artist caring for her grandparents’ crumbling home while harboring study-abroad ambitions. Bae Doona delivers an early breakout turn as Tae-hee, an offbeat young woman who forms a connection with a cerebral palsy patient who writes poetry. Lee Eun-sil and Lee Eun-ju play twins Bi-ryu and Ohn-jo, facing discrimination due to their Chinese heritage in a largely homogeneous nation. The cat Tee-tee, belonging to Ji-young, becomes the thread that still binds the group as they navigate their uncertain futures.

Filmed in Incheon, an industrial port city experiencing the sharp effects of South Korea‘s accelerated entry into global markets, the drama has gained recognition as a landmark of Korean cinema. The narrative examines social stratification, friendship bonds, and the unequal distribution of prospects as the characters transition from the relatively egalitarian world of school into adult life’s harsher realities and disappointments.

“2001 was the first year of the new millennium, and releasing this film then holds great significance for me. I wanted to show that these kinds of women exist in the world, and I hadn’t seen it before on film,” said director Jeong. “Hearing that another distributor is releasing it in North America after 25 years makes me incredibly happy.”

Ariel Esteban Cayer, co-founder and artistic director of Kani Releasing, called the film one the company has had in mind since its inception. “In hindsight, it now unfolds with a remarkable sense of time and place, operating at a level not dissimilar to, say, the films of Edward Yang. It does for Incheon and the adjacent Seoul of aughts what he did for Taipei in the 80s,” Cayer said.

The film gained attention as a sleeper hit upon its original debut and earned spots at the 2002 International Film Festival Rotterdam and New Directors/New Films. Following a limited U.S. theatrical run more than two decades ago, the title has had minimal American exposure since.

The film will screen this month at Metrograph in New York City as part of the theater’s program focus on Bae, titled “Doona, Doona, Doona.” Bae went on to star in films including “Linda Linda Linda” and “Next Sohee,” while Lee Yo-won appeared in “Attack the Gas Station.”

Launched in 2021, Kani Releasing takes its name from the specialized low-angle tripod that director Yasujiro Ozu used for shooting. The company focuses on broadening North American appreciation of Asian cinema through theatrical releases of both contemporary works by emerging talent and rediscovered older titles.

Barunson E&A, which began operations in 1996, focuses on backing projects that balance box office potential with artistic quality. The production company’s 2019 release “Parasite” achieved unprecedented success for a Korean film, claiming the top prize at Cannes and sweeping four Academy Awards including the top categories of best picture and best director.