South Korean indie studio More In Group is using Hong Kong FilMart to launch its new feature film project “19 39.”
Director Park Jae-ho is setting a quick turnaround for the comedy-drama movie which has not yet been filmed, but which he plans to release in summer this year.
The story, written by Kim Min-Jung transports five 39-year-old women back to their childhoods, to experience high school and first love. Their happy memories contrast with present day reality as women on the cusp of middle age. The clash forces them to reflect on the true meaning of love and friendship.
(A similar theme is explored in current JTBC-Netflix series “Thirty Nine” with three women all age 39 who juggle work, life and relationships. It was also previously explored in 2011 hit film “Sunny”.)
Park has set Lee So-yeon (the lead of TV series “Ms. Montecristo”), Son Yeo-eun (“Crazy Romance”), Jeon Hye-bin (TV’s “Another Miss Oh,” “Lucky”), Jung Soo-young (“What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim,” “Couple or Trouble”) and Oh Seung-eun (“My Boss 1”) as the adult leads.
The child actors are: Choi Hye-jin (“Miss & Mrs Cops,” TV’s “Some Air”), Kim Yu-eun (Netflix series “The School Nurse Files”), Ko Ju-hee (“Strange School Tales”) and Kim Yu-jin (“1:11, Time to Go to You”).
The production, through SG&G Holding and More In Group, is poised to cost KRW4 billion ($3.2 million) with an additional KRW1 billion ($800,000) earmarked for marketing in Korea.
Headed by T.J. Chung, More In has a span of activities that stretch from film and TV rights sales, through IP investment and co-production, and music IP sales. Its back catalog also packs a score of movies from the first decade of the Korean film industry revival, including “Face,” “Afrika” and “Our Town.”
This time last year, More In used FilMart to launch its inspirational drama film “My Lovely Angel.”