If the thought of summer blockbuster season leaves you craving something with a little more bite and a little less spandex, Arrow Academy’s July slate will have you salivating in anticipation with its selection of Asian masterpieces.

First up is a Blu-ray two-film set: Woman is the Future of Man, Tale of Cinema: Two Films by Hong Sangsoo. The set brings together the fifth and sixth films by renowned South Korean filmmaker, Hong Sangsoo, presenting them for the very first time in high definition. Both films are typical of the director’s close study of human foibles, that has seen him compared favourably to Eric Rohmer.

Woman is the Future of Man sees two friends who have both had an affair with the same woman agree to meet up with her again. Tale of Cinema, meanwhile, features a filmmaker who believes a film is based upon his life and meets its lead actress with a view to turning their on-screen relationship into a real one.

Also for July is the film that swept the board at the 41st Japan Academy Prize, picking up Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Editing. The Third Murder is the latest from internationally lauded director, Hirokazu Kore-eda and marks a sharp departure from his usual style. A courtroom drama filled with mystery and suspense, the film follows a defence lawyer assigned to a man who has confessed to murder despite it carrying the death penalty. As the case continues, the lawyer becomes more and more convinced of his client’s innocence.

Woman is the Future of Man, Tale of Cinema: Two Films by Hong Sangsoo
Blu-ray | 16 July 2018 | £24.99

This collection brings together Women is the Future of Man and Tale of Cinema, the fifth and sixth films by Hong Sangsoo, the masterful South Korean filmmaker who has been favourably compared to that great French observer of human foibles, Eric Rohmer. 

Women is the Future of Man tells of two long-time friends, a filmmaker (Kim Taewoo) and a teacher (Yoo Jitae), who have had an affair with the same woman (Sung Hyunah). The friends decide to meet the girl one more time and see what happens... 

Tale of Cinema uses the trope of a film within a film to tell two stories, that of a depressive young man (Lee Kiwoo) who forms a suicide pact with a friend (Uhm Jiwon); and the tale of a filmmaker (Kim Sangkyung) who sees see a film that he believes was based on his life, and who meets the actress from the film with view to turning their onscreen relationship into reality. 

With these critically-acclaimed films, presented here in High Definition for the first time with a wealth of extras, Hong Sangsoo employs his idiosyncratic, measured style to create two compelling and truthful tapestries of human emotion and behaviour.

Special Edition contents:

• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation 
• Original 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio 
• Newly translated optional English subtitles 
• Newly filmed introductions to both films by Asian cinema expert Tony Rayns 
• Interviews with Kim Sangkyung, Lee Kiwoo and Uhm Jiwon, the stars of Tale of Cinema
• Introduction to Woman is the Future of Man by director Martin Scorsese 
• The Making of Woman is the Future of Man, a featurette on the film’s production
• Interviews with the actors of Woman is the Future of Man
• Original trailers 
• Stills gallery 
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Scott Saslow
• First pressing only: Illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the films by Michael Sicinski

The Third Murder | DVD and Blu-ray | 23 July 2018 | £19.99 (Blu-ray). £15.99 (DVD)

From internationally lauded Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda (After The Storm; Like Father, Like Son) comes The Third Murder, a complex death-sentence drama which tells of one man’s hunt for the truth whilst investigating the murky events of a gruesome murder. 

Leading attorney Shigemori (Masaharu Fukuyama) takes on the defence of murder-robbery suspect Misumi (Kôji Yakusho) who served jail time for another murder 30 years ago. Shigemori’s chances of winning the case seem low - his client freely admits his guilt, despite facing the death penalty if he is convicted. As he digs deeper into the case and hears the testimonies of the victim’s family and Misumi himself, the once confident Shigemori begins to doubt whether his client is the murderer after all. 

Kore-eda’s latest film sees the award-winning Japanese auteur eschew the intimate approach of his acclaimed family dramas and deliver an ice-cold courtroom drama, packed with mystery and suspense. The Third Murder has been a huge success with critics and audiences alike in Japan, where the film swept the Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Editing at the 41st Japan Academy Prize.

Blu-ray Special Edition contents:

• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
• Original 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio 
• Optional English subtitles 
• The Making of The Third Murder, a new featurette on the film’s production
• Tony Rayns on The Third Murder, a newly filmed video appraisal by the expert on Asian cinema
• Stills gallery 
• Original trailer 
• Reversible sleeve featuring two artwork options
• First pressing only: Illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the films by Alexander Jacoby

DVD Special Edition features:

• Standard Definition DVD presentation
• Original 5.1 surround sound
• Optional English subtitles
• The Making of The Third Murder, a new featurette on the film’s production
• Tony Rayns on The Third Murder, a newly filmed video appraisal by the expert on Asian cinema
• Stills gallery
• Original trailer
• Reversible sleeve featuring two artwork options