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Kim Jee-woon's kimchi western sells like hot cakes

Innovative director Kim Jee-woon presented with "The Good, the Bad, the Weird" one of the most anticipated and applauded films at Festival de Cannes, which is reflected in the slate of international distribution right sales at the Cannes market by CJ Entertainment.

The kimchi western – a reference to the influence of Sergio Leone's spaghetti western The Good, the Ugly, the Bad – stars Lee Byung-hun, Song Kang-ho and Jung Woo-sung, three star actors with international appeal.

So far, most interest was expressed by European and Asian buyers. Icon Film obtained the UK rights and Huayi Brothers bought the rights for the Chinese market. Innoform (Singapore) Maywin Media (Russia), Horizon International (Turkey), Independenta (Romania), and Farabi (Iran) also successfully pursued the distribution rights for The Good, the Bad, and the Weird.

KIM said that the Cannes version was not yet fully finalized. He also spoke of different versions of the film. The international version holds more references to Sergio Leone's classic, while the Korean version will be more directed at entertainment.

"The Good, the Bad, the Weird" will open in Korean cinemas in July. KIM previously showed originality in "A Bittersweet Life" (Dalkomhan Insaeng), "A Tale of Two Sisters" (Janghwa Hongryeon), and "A Quiet Family" (Joyonghan Gajeong).

Yi Ch'ang-ho (KOFIC)

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