Korea’s UP relaunches sales team with Cold Eyes

Based on the Johnnie To-produced, Simon Yam-starring surveillance thriller that was in the 2007 Berlinale, the Korean version stars Seol Kyung-gu (aka Sul Kyoung-gu from Haeundae and The Tower), Han Hyo-joo (Masquerade) and Jung Woo-sung (Reign Of Assassins, A Moment To Remember).

A member of a police surveillance unit targeting high-profile criminals, Han plays the gifted newbie with keen observation skills and a sharp memory. She’s assigned to work with the unit’s rough but warm-hearted veteran leader (Seol), who mainly operates on animal-like instinct.

The two develop an intricate partnership as they track down the cold-blooded leader (Jung) of a violent criminal organisation who manages to escape their radar time and again.

Founded in 2007 by three of Korea’s most prolific production houses – Zip Cinema, Opus Pictures and BK Pictures – UP is a joint venture company for film financing, production, and distribution. Producer Lee Tae Hun of Opus heads up the company.

UP formerly handled either none or only limited territories’ sales on its films and collaborated with sales companies such as M-Line Distribution, CJ Entertainment and Finecut.

Previous titles include hits such as All About My Wife, Haunters, The Man From Nowhere and Woochi. The company’s most recent projects include co-producing Bong Joon Ho’s upcoming English-language thriller Snowpiercer, which CJ handles.

UP’s new sales team is headed up by the company’s former acquisitions executive Danny Lee, whose years in the industry include working at Taewon Entertainment. He is joined by US-educated Gina Shin, who previously worked as a director’s assistant to Park Chan-wook on his English-language thriller Stoker.

The team will be in Cannes, preselling Cold Eyes, which is due out in local theatres this summer.