Finecut, a Seoul-based sales company, closed international distribution deals Friday for two films at TIFFCOM, the content market held alongside the Tokyo International Film Festival.
Journey There, directed by Kim Jin-yu and starring Justin H. Min, sold to Japan's KDDI Corporation, Israel's Lev Cinema, Mongolia's Izagur Media, and Taiwan's Andrews Film. Kairos Distribution acquired inflight rights. The drama follows a middle-aged woman who, after losing her husband, prepares for a journey and finds unexpected connections in her new apartment. Min, known for Netflix's Beef and The Umbrella Academy and Kogonada's After Yang, marks this as his first Korean production. The film opened in South Korea on Oct. 28.
Hong Sangsoo's Nowhere to Lay My Eyes added deals with Kligger for Argentina, Carlotta Films for France, Mimosa Films for Japan, and The Stone and the Plot for Portugal. Previously announced sales included Austria's Filmgarten, China's Hugoeast, North America's Cinema Guild, Spain's Atalante, Taiwan's Cola Films, and the U.K.'s Institute of Contemporary Arts.
Hong's 35th feature won three prizes at the 79th Locarno Film Festival: best direction, best performance for Kim Minhee, and the Ecumenical Jury Prize. The film follows a woman who travels with her brother to visit their mother on Jeju Island after a decade apart. The production reunited Hong with collaborators Kim and Kwon Haehyo and marked his first work with Choi Myeonggil, whose credits include the television series Durian's Affair.