Japanese drama film “Mountain Woman,” which was one of the standouts titles at last year’s Tokyo International Film Festival, is to be represented for global sales by EST N8.
Inspired by “The Legends of Tono,” which is Japanese folklore from the Tohoku region, the film depicts a small Japanese village overrun by famine. The burden falls upon Rin, a woman whose connections with the spirit and natural worlds allow her to rise amidst familial conflicts.
It is directed by Fukunaga Takeshi, a past winner at the Tribeca Film Festival and resident at Cannes, and an Independent Spirit Award nominee. His first feature premiered at Berlinale and his second feature,“Ainu Mosir,” is currently streaming on Netflix.
“Mountain Woman” stars Anna Yamada, Moriyama Mirai, Miura Toko(“Drive My Car”)and Nagase Masatoshi. It was produced by Eric Nyari (Cineric Creative), Harue Miyake (Booster Project), and Mio Ietomi (NHK).
After its Tokyo festival premiere, the film played at the Karlovy Vary and Hong Kong International film festivals. It was theatrically released by Animoproduce in Japan this summer.
The sales rights deal was brokered by Tenten Wei and Sophie Shi of EST N8. The company is introducing the film to buyers at the Tokyo festival’s adjacent market TIFFCOM and at the upcoming American Film Market.
EST N8 is joint venture between U.S.-based EST Studios and Thailand’s N8 company. The company was busy at this month’s Asian Contents and Film Market, attached to the Busan International Film Festival, launching new titles in the Asian market and picking up others.
“Through our diverse portfolio with captivating projects like ‘Mountain Woman,’ we strive to bridge cultures and bring the untold stories of Asia to the global stage. We hope to illuminate the depth of Asian experiences and create a cinematic journey that resonates with audiences worldwide,” said Jaeson Ma, chairman of EST Studios.
EST Studios sales titles also include: the recently released horror thriller “Chabak,” from producer Tiger Yeongseop Kim; Busan official documentary selection “April Tragedy (The Daughters Of That Day)”; Cantonese-language thriller “Tape,” based on another linklater film; Asian horror titles “Dead Boys Club” (aka “Geng Kubur”) and “The Scarecrow”; Emmy-award winning director Jessica Q. Chen’s documentary “Surf Nation”; Canneseries title “Streams Flow From a River”; and producing titles “K-Pops!,” directed by Grammy winner Anderson Paak; and the documentary “Hidden Letters,” Violet Du Feng’s 2023 Academy Award shortlisted feature documentary, which made its world premiere at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival.
