Culture 2 min read By Mason Emerson
Finecut sells Justin H. Min film Journey There to multiple territories
Korean sales company Finecut has sold Journey There, starring Justin H. Min, to Japan, Taiwan, Mongolia and Israel, and has closed further deals on Hong Sangsoo's Locarno winner Nowhere to Lay My Eyes.
Seoul-based sales company Finecut has sold Journey There, the film starring The Umbrella Academy and Beef actor Justin H. Min, to several territories. The company has also closed additional deals for Hong Sangsoo's Nowhere to Lay My Eyes, which won awards at the Locarno Film Festival.
Journey There has been acquired by KDDI Corporation for Japan, Andrews Film for Taiwan, Izagur Media for Mongolia and a buyer for Israel. The deals show growing international interest in a Korean production that stars a Korean American actor best known to many English-speaking audiences from television.
Nowhere to Lay My Eyes is a triple prizewinner at the 79th Locarno Film Festival. Carlotta Films has picked up the film for territories in the new batch of deals, according to reports on the sales. The sales add to the festival profile of Hong, one of South Korea's most consistently celebrated arthouse directors, whose films are regularly shown at major European festivals.
Journey There is directed by Kim Jin-yu and is described in trade coverage as the first Korean production to star Min. The film's international placement comes as independent Korean titles look for distribution beyond their home market, with festival honors often serving as a key selling point for buyers in Asia and Europe.
Finecut's latest announcements follow a pattern of festival-driven sales for Korean cinema, in which prizes at events such as Locarno help attract distributors that then license films to regional markets. Further territory deals for both titles are possible as the sales campaign continues.
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