‘A City of Sadness,’ abruptly put on hold one day before reopening… “Copyright issues raised”
The original rights holder sent an official notice saying, “I’ve never sold the distribution rights in Korea,” prompting theaters to halt screenings in the middle of ongoing showings
Korean Association of Art Cinema Theaters: “The original rights holder denies the legitimacy of the screening copy… withdraw to protect audience trust”
Importer A-Sum Pictures: “We purchased it lawfully through a French distributor… we’ll do our best to reach a proper resolution”
The masterpiece by director Hou Hsiao-hsien, ‘A City of Sadness (1989),’ was scheduled to return to South Korean screens on the 6th but was suddenly put on hold just two days before its release. As the original overseas rights holder raised copyright concerns and signs of a legal dispute began to...
