P.A.M. Korea Media has launched into international sales with the market debut of director Kim Jee-yong’s Bloody Shake, a psychological thriller with visceral and bloody imagery.

The film follows seven characters - including a priest, a pickpocket and a lesbian butcher - in a relay of seven murderous stories, which all turn out to be the stress-fueled dreams of a salaryman under pressure at work.

‘The fantasy seen in the dream portions will be more like heightened reality, to create catharsis for us in our everyday lives,’ says Kim, a graduate of the University of Melbourne with a background in award-winning shorts and commercials for companies like Samsung.

‘The initial budget estimate for art production and CGI alone came in at $1.07m. But our production budget is only $431,000 because we’re getting back-end participation from all the staff and crew, plus lots of regional support in the way of locations services from Suncheon city where the film was shot,’ says Kim, who is also CEO of P.A.M. Korea Media.

The company is a film and drama production company started up with $2m from investors from the US, Korea and Japan.

The film has completed principal photography and is currently in post-production, with plans for completion in June.

‘Times are hard for independent films these days in Korea, so we are aiming to kick off with independent film festivals to build marketing momentum,’ says Kim, who is showing a trailer with visceral images from Bloody Shake at Filmart, for which 30% of CGI has been done.

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