Hong Sangsoo’s Locarno Winner ‘Nowhere to Lay My Eyes’ Anchors Wave of Sales Deals for Finecut Ahead of Toronto

Korean sales house Finecut has secured a wave of international sales for three festival films ahead of the Toronto International Film Festival, headlined by Hong Sangsoo's Locarno prizewinner "Nowhere to Lay My Eyes." The deals underline the strength of Korean cinema's international market presence heading into the autumn festival circuit, with titles moving across North America, Europe and Asia.

Hong's film, his 35th feature, won the Pardo for Best Direction, Best Performance and the Ecumenical Jury Prize at Locarno's 79th edition, and has been sold to distributors including Cinema Guild (North America) and the Institute of Contemporary Arts (UK). Also among the deals is "Long Long Night," a 3D animated debut from Youm Kyu Bock pre-sold to Japan's Geek Pictures, which premieres at Toronto before heading to Busan and Sitges, and "Dora," the third feature from July Jung — the first Korean female director to have three consecutive films selected for Cannes — sold to Japan and Taiwan. Finecut will also showcase further titles at Toronto, including the animated adventure "Guardians of the Video Game" and Japanese horror-thriller "Wash Away."