EXCLUSIVE: Berlin-based m-appeal has boarded South Korean director Yoon Dan-bi’s second feature The World Before, which has its world premiere in Toronto International Film Festival’s Platform section next month before heading to San Sebastian in the New Directors strand.
Billed as a nostalgic love story, The World Before is set on a remote Korean island and follows two childhood friends who reunite as teenagers. One, Jin, has never left the island; the other, Dujae, is returning for his grandmother’s funeral. Over the summer, Jin spends more time with her old friend, and her romantic feelings make her see her life in a new way.
M-appeal has international rights to the film, excluding South Korea, where Atnine Film has distribution rights, France, which is being handled by Comme des Cinémas, and Japan, which has yet to be confirmed.
The film was made through the director’s own company Cheonggwa together with Humanité Co.
Sim Su-bin, star of Netflix series Teach You A Lesson, stars with Eo-jin, known for his work in South Korean teen drama TV series Fragile.
The World Before received backing from Kofic, Gyeonggi Content Agency, and the Seoul Film Commission’s Directors’ Zone.
“We felt a deep connection to this story from the very first scene,” said m-appeal founder Maren Kroymann. “Yoon Dan-bi’s direction is so assured that the camera seems to disappear, and we found ourselves living among the characters as if we were part of the community. As the story unfolds, it only grows more intimate and impossible to look away, a clear sign audiences will be just as captivated as we were.”
M-Appeal has previously picked up notable Asian festival titles including Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist and Wheel Of Fortune And Fantasy, and Chinese director Li Ruijun’s Return To Dust.
The company’s early autumn slate also includes Nicola Sorcinelli’s Balcanica, premiering in Giornate degli Autori in Venice, and Zoom In Zoom Out by Chinese director Dong Jie, which premieres in Venice Critics’ Week.
The filmmaker’s debut feature Moving On won the Bright Future competition at the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) in 2020, after picking up four awards in Busan.
No comments yet