EST N8 Takes Worldwide Sales Rights To Korean Animated Feature Pilgrims
EST N8, a company formed to finance and sell Asian films abroad, is now handling its first animated feature, and its choice is a Korean science-fiction film adapted from a bestselling short story collection and made by a director who spent nearly 20 years in the Japanese animation industry.
Reporting from 1 source: Anime News Network.
EST N8 acquired worldwide sales rights to Pilgrims, a Korean science-fiction animated feature, and launched international sales at the Asian Contents & Film Market during the Busan International Film Festival, held October 10 to 13. The film won a technical award at the 2025 Bucheon International Animation Festival. It is the feature directorial debut of Pyoungkang Heo, a veteran of the Japanese animation industry, and adapts a short story from Choyeop Kim's If We Cannot Go at the Speed of Light.
The film screened at Annecy and took a technical award at the 2025 Bucheon International Animation Festival. Its story follows Sophie, who lives in a community where emotional suffering has been eliminated and where residents must spend a year on Earth at 18; when she starts remembering Daisy, a friend who vanished on Earth, she begins to question the village.
Pyoungkang Heo directed, with credits including series director on Japan Sinks: 2020 and unit director on Night is Short, Walk On Girl. Hyang-gi Kim, Ji-hu Park, and Joo-young Lee lead the voice cast.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
Sources
- Anime News Network News EST N8 Picks Up Korean-Animated Film Pilgrims for Worldwide Sales