Koreanfilm import company Sponge and venture capital firm KTB Network are teaming upin a new venture known as 'Cinehue' to give quality non-Hollywoodproduct an enhanced presence on South Korean screens.

Thenew distribution line matches the experience of Sponge - which has purchasedKorean rights to over 50 foreign titles including Dogville, Zatoichi,and Bowling For Columbine - with the financial clout of KTB Network,an established film investor to increase marketing power and widen releases.

Targetingthe multiplex audience, Cinehue has reached agreements with major exhibitorsCGV, Megabox, Lotte Cinema and Primus Cinema that will ensure a minimum of fiveprints in Seoul and 12 nationwide for its planned lineup of six releases overthe next half year.

'Smallerfilms have not performed well up to this point because they have not been ableto secure enough screens,' says Kim Sung-ho of KTB Network. 'Withstrong marketing, stable investment and a sufficient number of prints, there isno question that such films can succeed.'

Titlesinclude Bad Education, scheduled for a September 17 release during thebusy Chuseok holiday season, Takeshi Kitano-vehicle Blood And Bone(November); award-winning Look At Me (December); omnibus film Eros(January); Vanity Fair (February) and The Edukators (March).