Korean sales company CJ Entertainment has closed a flurry of deals led by its most recent international pick-up, Japanese drama Gu Gu, The Cat, directed by Inudou Isshin (La Maison De Himiko) and starring Koizumi Kyoko (Bayside Shakedown) and Ueno Juri (Josee, The Tiger, And The Fish).

The film pre-sold to Edko for Hong Kong, Serenity Entertainment for Taiwan, Festive Films for Singapore, and M Pictures for Thailand.

Mike Suh, senior vice president of International Film Financing and Distribution said, 'Japanese films are currently on the rise and we're utilising our established know-how in selling Korean films. It's a good sign for future co-productions and we're set to diversify out sales line-up.'

CJ is co-producing with Asmik Ace which has Japanese rights, while CJ has worldwide excluding Japan.

SPO for Japan snapped up seven films for its Korean Wave festival in September: pickpocket drama Open City, period mystery thriller Shadows In The Palace, drama The Happy Life, comedies Going By The Book and Sex Is Zero 2, crime thrillers Our Town, and surgical thriller Wide Awake.

Hexagon also picked up two for Japan - Gianna Jun starrer A Man Who Was Superman and marital discord drama Venus And Mars.

Horizon International for Turkey pre-bought Kim Jee-woon's Oriental Western The Good, The Bad, And The Weird which is screening here Out of Competition and Kim Yoo-jin's period action film The Divine Weapon; it snapped up thriller Fate as well.

Nettai Museum has also picked up romance Love Is A Crazy Thing for Japan.


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