Hong Sangsoo’s ‘The Day She Returns’ Sells Wide for Finecut

Leading Korean sales outfit Finecut has closed deals across seven territories for Hong Sangsoo‘s “The Day She Returns,” the Korean auteur’s 34th feature, which had its world premiere in the Panorama strand of the Berlinale.

The Berlin appearance marked Hong’s seventh consecutive year with a film invited to the festival. Buyers include The Cinema Guild (North America), as previously revealed by Variety, Atalante (Spain), Carlotta Films (France), Cola Films (Taiwan), the Institute of Contemporary Arts (U.K.), BKS Cinema (Finland), and Hugoeast (Mainland China).

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“The Day She Returns” stars Song Sunmi as an actress who stepped back from acting after marriage and a subsequent divorce, and makes a comeback with a role in an independent film.

Separately, Finecut has acquired international sales rights to “Dora,” July Jung’s Cannes Directors’ Fortnight title, covering all markets excluding French-speaking Europe and Africa, Luxembourg, and South Korea. The selection makes Jung the first Korean female director to land three consecutive features at Cannes. Her debut, “A Girl at My Door,” screened in Un Certain Regard in 2014, and her second film, “Next Sohee,” closed the Critics’ Week in 2022.

“Dora” follows a young woman who finds an unexpected reserve of courage during a summer defined by humiliation and contempt. Kim Doyeon – known for “18 Youth” and “Idiot Girl and School Ghost: School Anniversary” – leads as Dora, a character coping with nervous breakdowns who retreats to a seaside village to recover. Ando Sakura, whose credits include “Godzilla Minus One,” “Monster,” and Palme d’Or winner “Shoplifters,” plays Nami, an old family friend Dora encounters there. The film is produced by Redpeter Films and co-produced by The French Connection, Les Films Fauves, Humorous Film, and Arte France Cinéma.

At the Cannes Film Market, Finecut has first footage screenings planned for “Long Long Night,” an animated feature in 3D drawn from a prize-winning Korean novel, and “Wash Away,” a Japanese horror-thriller.