Cinema Guild Nabs Hong Sangsoo's 'Nowhere to Lay My Eyes'
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- Cinema Guild acquired North American distribution rights to Hong Sangsoo's "Nowhere to Lay My Eyes," which will have its world premiere at the 79th Locarno Film Festival in August.
- "Nowhere to Lay My Eyes" follows Sanghee (Kim Minhee), who visits her mother on Jeju Island with her brother after a 10-year absence, as her stepfather — a documentary filmmaker — works on a project about a "grass tomb" and her mother's restaurant has turned lucrative.
- Hong Sangsoo reunites with Kim Minhee, Kwon Haehyo, Shin Seokho, and Park Miso in the film, which also marks the first appearance of actor Choi Myeonggil in one of the director's features; it is Hong's 35th feature overall.
- Peter Kelly, Cinema Guild's president, called the film "a wonderful film to behold with a captivating performance by Kim Minhee," with the deal negotiated by Kelly and Finecut's Youngjoo Suh.
- Cinema Guild's slate includes upcoming restorations of Otar Iosseliani's films and Hong's "The Day She Returns," alongside recent releases like Kamal Aljafari's "With Hasan in Gaza" and Hong's "What Does That Nature Say to You."
Why it matters: Cinema Guild continues to serve as Hong Sangsoo's steady North American pipeline — also handling his "The Day She Returns" — while a Locarno world premiere gives the film festival-circuit momentum before any U.S. release window, extending the distributor's streak of placing Korean arthouse titles in theatrical rotation.
