Barunson E&A, the production company behind Oscar-winner Parasite, has boarded international sales of MD Pictures’ upcoming Indonesian horror film Sorop and will launch the title at the Asian Contents & Film Market (ACFM) in Busan.
Sorop follows siblings Hanif and Isti as they return to their hometown after their uncle’s critical condition. After his death, their grief is disrupted by eerie events, including their uncle’s reappearance. With their family’s tragic deaths, Hanif and Isti set out to uncover the curse haunting them.
Sorop is directed and written by Upi, a veteran filmmaker known for her work on Sri Asih, a superhero action film co-written and produced by Joko Anwar, as well as the popular romcom franchise My Stupid Boss. The co-writer, SimpleMan, is one of the leading creators on Indonesian Twitter, renowned for writing numerous viral horror threads.
MD Pictures has produced hit films, including KKN Di Desa Penari (KKN Curse Of The Dancing Village), the first and only Indonesian film to exceed 10 million admissions, becoming the highest-grossing local film of all time. Its prequel Badarawuhi Di Desa Penari (Dancing Village : The Curse Begins) was also released this year and was noted for becoming the first filmed for IMAX in Southeast Asia. Badarawuhi Di Desa Penari garnered 4 million admissions and currently is ranked fourth among this year’s local films. MD Pictures also produced the top Indonesian film in 2023—Kimo Stamboel’s horror film Sewu Dino, which garnered 4.89 million admissions. Sorop, the KKN series, Sewu Dino are all based on SimpleMan’s Twitter thread that went viral in Indonesia.
Manoj Punjabi, CEO and Founder of MD Pictures, said: “We are thrilled to collaborate with Barunson E&A, a company renowned for their global success, to bring ‘Sorop’ to international audiences. ‘Sorop’ offers a unique blend of local folklore and supernatural intrigue that we believe will captivate international viewers. With Barunson’s expertise and vision, we are confident that this film will make a significant impact on a global scale.”
MD Pictures, an MD Entertainment Company, is a film studio based in Jakarta, Indonesia. It is distinguished as the first nationally-listed film company in the IDX (Indonesia Stock Exchange) and has maintained its position at the industry forefront for over two decades. Since its inception in 2002, MD Entertainment has grown into the most prolific media powerhouse in the country, garnering synergy from its fully integrated system and advanced facilities spanning the entire production chain. MD creates films, television and OTT programming, music, and animation, and is synonymous with consistently creating industry benchmarks. Today, the group boasts a library of over 14,000 hours of content across various platforms, including monumental, award winning films and shows. Uniquely, the IP of all MD programming is wholly owned by the group.
Since launching its international operations in October 2022, Barunson E&A has been focusing on co-productions and film financing on a global scale. Sorop marks Barunson E&A’s fourth non-Korean feature for international sales, following Vietnamese horror-comedy Don’t Cry, Butterfly which won both the Grand Prize and the Most Innovative Feature Award at the 2024 Venice Critics’ Week. Sorop is also Barunson E&A’s third investment in a foreign title, all of which are Indonesian films, underscoring the company’s growing influence in the Indonesian film industry.
Sylvie Kim, head of the international business unit at Barunson E&A, commented, “Over the past two years, we’ve witnessed tremendous potential in Indonesian filmmakers and are confident that their stories can resonate with audiences worldwide. We’re excited to collaborate with MD Pictures, one of Indonesia’s most creative and powerful studios, and we hope this is just the start of a strong and lasting relationship.”
Press release links:
https://deadline.com/2024/09/korea-barunson-indonesia-md-pictures-sorop-1236098801/
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