Korean sales firm Finecut has closed a string of key deals for drama Journey There, starring Beef’s Justin H. Min, and Hong Sangsoo’s Locarno triple award-winner Nowhere To Lay My Eyes.
Journey There has been acquired for distribution in Japan (KDDI Corporation), Mongolia (Izagur Media) and Taiwan (Andrews Film) as well as for Israel (Lev Cinema) and airlines (Kairos Distribution).
The drama follows a middle-aged woman who, after losing her husband, begins preparing for a journey of her own, only to encounter unexpected connections in her new apartment.
It stars veteran actress Kim Hye-ok and marks the first Korean production to feature US actor Min, best known for his roles in Netflix’s Beef and The Umbrella Academy, as well as Kogonada’s Cannes 2021 selection After Yang
It is the second feature of director Kim Jin-yu after 2018 family drama Bori. Produced by Kim’s Pado, it received a local release in South Korea on October 28 after receiving its world premiere at Busan.
Nowhere To Lay My Eyes has been sold to France (Carlotta Films), Japan (Mimosa Films), Portugal (The Stone and the Plot) and Argentina (Kligger), It adds to previously announced deals for North America, the UK, Spain, China, Austria and Taiwan.
These deals follow previously announced sales to the Austria (Filmgarten), China (Hugoeast), North America (The Cinema Guild), Spain (Atalante), Taiwan (Cola Films), and the UK (Institute of Contemporary Arts).
The film premiered in competition at Locarno, where it won best direction, best performance for actress Kim Minhee and the Ecumenical jury prize. The story follows a woman who visits her mother with her brother after 10 years apart and spends two days with her mother’s new family.
It marks the 35th feature by Korean auteur Hong and is produced by Jeonwonsa Film Co.
Finecut will travel to the AFM in November with a slate that include animated feature Long Long Night, which premiered at Toronto before going on to screen at Busan and Sitges, and will receive its first market screening in its English-dubbed version.
Further titles include July Jung’s Dora, which premiered in Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes, and Wi-Fi Love In The Palace, a fantasy romantic starring Kim Young-hoon from K-pop group The Boyz.
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