Barunson E&A, the South Korean studio best known for producing Parasite, is to exclusively handle worldwide sales for Come And See Pictures, the Indonesian production company co-founded by horror auteur Joko Anwar.
The partnership will begin with Ghost In The Cell, an upcoming supernatural thriller written and directed by Anwar, which will be introduced to international buyers in Toronto and at the Asian Contents & Film Market (ACFM) in Busan next month.
The film is set in a notorious prison where a mysterious, unseen force begins to slaughter inmates. It sees rival gangs and crooked guards forced to unite to survive.
The slate also includes sMothered, a psychological thriller produced by Anwar and directed by Kevin Rahardjo and Rafki Hidayat, which Barunson E&A picked up previously and was selling at the European Film Market in February.
Anwar is widely recognised as one of Southeast Asia’s most influential auteurs. His 2017 horror Satan’s Slaves became the highest-grossing Indonesian film of the year and was distributed in more than 40 territories.
In 2019, Impetigore premiered at Sundance and was Indonesia’s submission to the Academy Awards. That same year, he launched Indonesia’s first cinematic superhero universe with Gundala, which debuted at Toronto. His latest action feature, The Siege At Thorn High, is produced by Amazon MGM Studios and released globally on Prime Video on August 15.
Anwar said of the new partnership: “This slate agreement is an opportunity for us to unite our passions and push cinematic boundaries together – creating films that take risks, inspire conversation, and leave a lasting mark on audiences around the world. I’m excited for the stories we’ll bring to life over the next two years.”
Barunson E&A CEO Yoonhee Choi previously worked on Anwar’s features while at Korea’s CJ ENM,
“Drawing on years of engagement with Indonesia’s vibrant film scene – including landmark films such as Impetigore and Satan’s Slaves, which I was involved with during my time at CJ ENM – Barunson E&A possesses deep insights that define and drive our strategic collaborations in the region,” she said.
“This exclusive partnership with Joko Anwar leverages our accumulated expertise in the Indonesian market, and we look forward to sharing his vision, and exceptional Indonesian cinema, with audiences worldwide.”
It marks Barunson E&A’s continued move into Indonesian titles, whose recent slate includes Rangga & Cinta, a musical reboot of a beloved IP directed by veteran filmmaker Riri Riza, produced by Miles Films.
The studio also signed a new partnership with Indonesian studio Imajinari in May, expanding its international business beyond co-production and sales and into remake rights licensing.
Under the deal, Barunson E&A will handle international remake rights for three of Imajinari’s breakout titles: hit horror-comedy Agak Laen; its upcoming sequel; and dark comedy Tinggal Meninggal.
It also works closely with leading Indonesian production companies Visinema Pictures (Jumbo), Base Entertainment (Respati) and Rapi Films (The Book of Sijjin & Illiyyin).
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