Cannes: Kim Jee-woon’s ‘Cobweb’ Sells Wide (Exclusive)

South Korean director Kim Jee-woon’s much anticipated period comedy drama Cobweb has kicked off the Cannes market with a slew of international sales. Set to premiere in Cannes in an out-of-competition slot on May 25, Cobweb stars Song Kang-ho (Parasite) as a filmmaker frantically trying to finish the movie he believes will be his masterpiece.

International sales for the film, distributed and sold by Seoul-based Barunson E&A, so far include Japan (Happinet Phantom Studios), Taiwan (MovieCloud), Hong Kong/Macau (Edko Films), Southeast Asia (Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand – Clover Films), France and French-speaking territories (The Jokers Films, handled by Finecut), German-speaking territories and Italy (Plaion Pictures), Spain (La Aventura), CIS (Arna Media), Middle East (Phars Film), India (Impact Films), ex-Yugoslavia (Cinemania), Worldwide Inflight (Anuvu/Emphasis). The film is produced by SLL’s Anthology Studios.

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Set in South Korea during the politically repressive 1970s, Cobweb centers on a director named Kim (Song) whose career is at a crossroads when he becomes obsessed by the desire to re-shoot the ending of his recently completed film “Cobweb.” But chaos and turmoil grip the set with interference from the censorship authorities and the complaints of actors and producers who can’t understand the re-written ending. A dynamic story about the essence of cinema emerges as Kim struggles to find a way through the chaos to fulfill his artistic ambitions and complete his masterwork.

Song is joined in the lead cast by Im Soo-jung, who starred in Kim Jee-woon’s influential horror flick A Tale of Two Sisters two decades ago. In the Cobweb, she plays a veteran actress. Oh Jung-se (TV’s Okay to Not Be Okay and When The Camellia Blooms) plays a womanizing lead actor starring in the film-within-the-film, while Jeon Yeo-been (Netflix’s Night in Paradise and TV series Vincenzo) makes a strong impression as the heiress of the production company and director Kim’s only ally. Former K-pop star and actress Jung Soo-jung (aka Krystal Jung, from Netflix’s Sweet & Sour), plays a talented but high-maintenance starlet.

Cobweb marks the fifth collaboration between Kim Jee-woon and Song, both now world-famous for their screen versatility. Their first project together was the landmark 1997 black comedy horror The Quiet Family, followed by comedy-drama The Foul King, which became an early Korean festival favorite. Kim’s breakthrough “Kimchee Western” The Good, The Bad, The Weird (2008) was their first work to screen at Cannes, while spy action thriller The Age of Shadows went to Venice in 2016.

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