New Japanese distributor Foggy has swooped on all Japanese rights to Zhang Lu’s romantic drama Yanagawa in a deal with China’s Parallax Films.
It is the first Chinese film from the Korean-Chinese director in over 10 years and won the top prize at this week’s Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema in France, following its world premiere at Busan in October. It is also set to open Japan’s Osaka Asian Film Festival on March 10.
Starring Japanese actor Sosuke Ikematsu and China’s Ni Ni and Zhang Luyi, it follows two brothers who travel from Beijing to the Japanese city of Yanagawa to look for the woman they both loved when they were young. The feature was produced by China’s Midnight Blur Films.
Foggy is a Fukuoka-based distribution company, which was launched last year by independent producer Taro Imai of Harakiri Films.
Its initial acquisition slate also includes two further features by Zhang: Fukuoka, which premiered in Berlinale’s Forum in 2019, and Ode To The Goose, which debuted at Busan in 2018. International rights to these are also handled by Parallax Films, the sales arm of Midnight Blur.
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