Tokyo: Finecut Inks Deals for Justin H. Min’s ‘Journey There,’ Hong Sangsoo’s ‘Nowhere to Lay My Eyes’

Hong’s Locarno winner added buyers in France, Japan, Argentina and Portugal, while Min’s first Korean production secured deals across Asia. Seoul-based sales company Finecut has closed a string of international deals for Justin H. Min-starring drama Journey There and Hong Sangsoo’s Locarno award winner Nowhere to Lay My Eyes. The company announced the sales Friday, the third and final day of TIFFCOM, the content market held alongside the Tokyo International Film Festival. Journey There has sold to Japan’s KDDI Corporation, Israel’s Lev Cinema, Mongolia’s Izagur Media and Taiwan’s Andrews Film. Kairos Distribution acquired inflight rights. Directed by Kim Jin-yu, the drama follows a middle-aged woman who, after losing her husband, begins preparing for a journey of her own, only to find unexpected connections in her new apartment.

The film marks the first Korean production for Min, whose credits include Netflix’s Beef and The Umbrella Academy and Kogonada’s After Yang. Journey There is Kim’s second feature following Bori and was produced by his company Pado. The film opened in South Korea on Oct. 28 after festival appearances in Moscow and at the New York Asian Film Festival. It has also been invited to the Paris Korean Film Festival and London Korean Film Festival. Hong’s Nowhere to Lay My Eyes, meanwhile, added deals with Kligger for Argentina, Carlotta Films for France, Mimosa