EST N8 has acquired worldwide sales rights to Japanese thriller Afterglows and will continue autumn festival and market talks with buyers at Tokyo International Film Festival (October 23-November 1) and American Film Market (October 31-November 5).
Fast-rising Taichi Kimura’s (Ellegarden: Lost And Found, Lost Youth) explores grief and takes place in Tokyo as a taxi driver is haunted by hallucinations after the suicide of his wife, a famous singer.
The film stars Kentez Asaka (The Outsider, Crow’s Zero II), Megumi (December, Downfall), Akira Koieyama (The Last Samurai, 47 Ronin) and Keiko Takeshita (The Boy And The Heron) and was produced byTakuma Hiramatsu and Yutaro Tagawa.
Afterglows opened released in Japan earlier this year and screened at the Japannual Japanese film festival in Vienna earlier this month.
Head of sales and distribution Tenten Wei and Sophie Shi of EST N8 brokered the deal with the filmmakers. EST N8 commenced talks at Busan.
“At EST N8, we are deeply passionate about celebrating and promoting Asian culture,” said Jaeson Ma, EST Studios chairman. “Afterglows is an outstanding illustration of the rich storytelling and talent that Asia has to offer. We are both thrilled and proud to bring this Japanese thriller to global audiences, and we hope it will resonate with viewers worldwide.”
EST N8 is the joint venture launched in Cannes this year by Los Angeles-based EST Studios and Bangkok’s N8 (co-producer of Busan and TIFF selection and Bhutan’s Oscar submission The Monk And The Gun). Both outfits continue to operate as separate entities.
Recent EST Studios sales titles include horror thriller Chabak from producer Tiger Yeongseop Kim, Busan official selection April Tragedy (The Daughters Of That Day), Jessica Q. Chen’s documentary Surf Nation, and 2023 Canneseries title Streams Flow From A River.
The company is producing K-Pops! directed by Anderson .Paak, and the documentary Hidden Letters, Violet Du Feng’s Oscar-shortlisted documentary which premiered at Tribeca Festival last year.
N8 was founded by Kris Eiamsakulrat and Rachel Wu and has also formed a partnership with Thai studio GDH55, to co-produce a slate of Thai thriller and horror films aimed at the global audience. It co-produced this year’s Thai box office hit Home For Rent as well as The Monk And The Gun by Pawo Dorji.
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