Hong Sang Soo’s Films ‘In Today’, ‘In the Water’ Sell Across Europe – The Hollywood Reporter
Seoul-based Finecut has inked a host of deals for the latest blockbuster from South Korea’s most prolific auteur, Hong Sangsoo. Hong’s latest song, in this day, which will premiere as the closing title of the Directors’ Fortnight section in Cannes on May 25, has been sold to France (Capriche), Spain (Latalante Cinema) and Greece (Ama Films). The film follows a woman in her forties, temporarily living at a friend’s house, and a man in his seventies who lives alone, both of whom have visitors with serious questions to ask.
Hong’s second most recent feature, In the water, which premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in February, is also doing brisk business at the Marche du Film in Cannes. The film has been sold to France (Arizona Films Distribution), Spain (L’Atalante Cinema), and Taiwan (COLA FILMS), after previously being sold to The Cinema Guild for North America.
Finecut also has deals on three Young Korean Female Filmmaker titles – July Jung’s Next Sohee (which premiered at Cannes Critics Week 2022), Lee Sol Hui greenhouse and Lee Ji-eun’s Hill of secrets.
Next Sohee went to Australia (SBS), China (BlueMedia Times) and Spain (La Aventura Cine), after previous deals with France (Arizona), India (Pictureworks), Japan (Rights Cube), Taiwan (Sky Films) and Switzerland (Trigon Film). The film was released on April 5 in France, and has garnered more than 90,000 admissions.
Greenhouse, which won multiple awards at last year’s Busan Film Festival, has been sold to France (Art House Films), Japan (Mimosa Films) and Taiwan (AV-Jet). Plaion Pictures has acquired the German-speaking rights to The Hill Of Secrets, which premiered in Berlin and was previously sold to Hong Kong’s Edko Films and Taiwan’s AV-Jet.