Film "Late Autumn" pre-sold to Japan

Film "Late Autumn" [& Credit]

Korean film “Late Autumn” starring Korean top actor Hyun Bin and Chinese actress Tang Wei has been sold to Japan ahead of its release in theaters, according to the film’s promoter & Credit on Tuesday.

A press release by & Credit explained that famed Japanese film distributor SPHC Co., which had its eyes set on the film since the Pusan International Film Festival last October, decided to purchase the film for its main cast composed of top Korean actor Hyun Bin and critically acclaimed Chinese actress Tang Wei, its highly sentimental storyline and outstanding visual quality.

SPHC has introduced a variety of popular Korean films in Japan including “Seopyeonje,” (1993) “Swiri,” (1998) “Joint Security Area” (2000) “Oasis,” (2002) “Memories Of Murder” (2003) “Untold Scandal” (2003).

"Late Autumn" tells of the brief encounter between a male gigolo named Hoon (played by Hyun Bin) who is on the run and Anna (Tang Wei) who gets a pardon for three days from the jail she has been serving in for the past seven years for murdering her abusive husband.

The movie was first released in 1966 by famed Korean director Lee Man-hee and was re-made three times -- into "Promise of the Body" in 1975, "Manchu" in 1982 and Japanese film "Promise" in 1972.

The latest version has been invited to the prestigious Berlin International Film Festival and the Fribourg international Film Festival set for February and March, respectively, while set for a release in Korean theaters on February 17.

Hyun Bin, 28, whose real name is Kim Tae-pyung, rose to fame after starring in smash hit series "My Name is Kim Sam-soon" alongside actress Kim Suna in 2005 and has also starred in other dramas including “World’s Within” (KBS, 2008), "Friend, Our Legend" (MBC, 2009) and most recently, "Secret Garden" (SBS, 2010).

Tang Wei, 31, rose to international stardom through Ang Lee's espionage thriller "Lust, Caution" (2007) which won Venice's Golden Lion award.

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