Seoul-based sales outfit Finecut has secured distribution deals for Journey There, which features Justin H. Min of The Umbrella Academy, placing the film in multiple international territories. The company has also finalized additional agreements for Hong Sangsoo’s Locarno prize-winner Nowhere To Lay My Eyes.
Journey There has been licensed to Japan (KDDI Corporation), Taiwan (Andrews Film), Mongolia (Izagur Media) and Israel (Lev Cinema), with Kairos Distribution acquiring the inflight exhibition rights.
The picture is Min’s first Korean-language project; he is better known for his work on Netflix’s Beef and The Umbrella Academy, as well as his role in Kogonada’s After Yang.
Directed by Kim Jin-yu, Journey There centers on a middle-aged woman who, after the loss of her spouse, readies herself to embark on a personal journey and, upon moving into a new apartment, discovers unexpected human connections.
This is Kim’s second feature following his debut, Bori, which earned two prizes at the Schlingel International Film Festival. Produced through Kim’s Pado production company, Journey There has screened at festivals including the Moscow International Film Festival and the New York Asian Film Festival. The film is slated to open in South Korea on October 28.
Nowhere To Lay My Eyes — which picked up Best Direction, Best Performance and the Ecumenical Jury Prize at Locarno — has been sold to France (Carlotta Films), Japan (Mimosa Films), Portugal (The Stone And The Plot) and Argentina (Kligger). Earlier sales included Austria (Filmgarten), China (Hugoeast), North America (The Cinema Guild), Spain (Atalante), Taiwan (Cola Films) and the UK (ICA).
Finecut negotiated the latest set of deals at the recent Asian Contents & Film Market in Busan. The company will next attend the American Film Market in Los Angeles, where it plans to offer additional titles including the animated feature Long Long Night, which screened at Toronto, Busan and Sitges; the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight selection Dora; and the fantasy romance Wi‑Fi Love in the Palace, starring Kim Young-hoon.
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