April 22, 2009

It is with great pleasure that Evokative Films announces its acquisition of DAYTIME DRINKING. This South-Korean dramatic comedy, produced with a micro-budget of $9 000 CAD (10 000 Won), seduced audiences and juries alike in various International film festivals and found an unexpected success on its domestic market. As well as Producer, Writer and Director, NOH Young-seok took on the roles of Cinematographer, Production Designer, Editor and Composer of the Original Soundtrack for this first feature film.

On a drunken night out with his friends, Hyuk-jin, a broken-hearted young man, gets swayed into going to the countryside with them for a getaway weekend. But when he gets there, he finds that not only none of them showed up, but the tiny seaside town is shuttered - no shops are open, no tourists are around, the beach is freezing and there’s no cell phone signal. And that’s only the beginning of his bad luck. Unable and reluctant to return to Seoul, he finds himself in the company of some very unusual locals and, subject to the rigid rules of Korean drinking culture, on an increasingly strange odyssey nursing a never-ending hangover. Ushering a new era of independent filmmaking in South Korea, DAYTIME DRINKING is a comedy in the spirit of STRANGER THAN PARADISE and SIDEWAYS - but with a distinctly Korean twist.

Evokative Films signed the distribution deal with Eleven Arts, owner of the North-American rights. The films’ International sales agent is Finecut. DAYTIME DRINKING started its festival career at the Jeonju International Film Festival in 2008, where it won the JJ-Star Award and the Audience Critics' Award, to follow with the Locarno International Film Festival, where it won a Special Mention of the Jury and a NETPAC Award, and the Toronto International Film Festival. In 2009 it followed with the Vessoul Asian Film Festival, where it won an Inalco Jury Award and then, amongst others, the International Film Festival Rotterdam 2009, the SXSW Film Festival and the Hong Kong International Film Festival. Eleven Arts plans a US theatrical release in June and July of this year and Evokative Films will follow with July and August screenings. A DVD release is planned for September.

Posted in Acquisitions