Kim Ki-duk’s Pieta sees strong overseas sales

South Korean director Kim Ki-duk’s new film “Pieta” has achieved many significant sales deals since its Golden Lion win at the Venice International Film Festival early this month, according to the film‘s sales agency.

Pieta’s sales agency Finecut said on Thursday that it signed four deals to distribute the movie to foreign countries after receiving multiple bids for the rights during the recently closed Toronto International Film Festival.

The deals are in addition to previously announced sales to some 20 locations, including Russia, Norway, Turkey, Hong Kong and Greece, according to the agency.

After a heated competition, France’s Pretty Pictures won the rights to distribute Pieta in French-speaking European regions, the agency said.

Pretty Pictures was the local distributor of Kim’s previous films “Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring,” and “3-Iron.”

Other post-Toronto deals included one with King Records for Japan, with Aerofilms for the Czech and Slovak republics and with California Filmes for Brazil. This year’s Toronto festival was held from Sept. 6-16.

More contracts will follow since negotiations with buyers from the United States, Britain, Australia, Israel, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Taiwan, Sweden and several other countries are under way, the sales agency said.

Released on Sept. 6 in local theaters, Pieta has attracted more than 400,000 moviegoers as of Wednesday, after passing the break-even point on its 10th day after opening.

(Yonhap News)