Sony Pictures Classics has acquired the rights to Niki Byrne’s film The Julia Set. The production, which features Chase Infiniti, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Sony Pictures Classics will distribute the movie in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Israel, and various regions including Benelux, Switzerland, Italy, Scandinavia, Spain, and Eastern Europe, excluding Poland. The studio intends to launch a theatrical release for the project in 2027.
The Sony Pictures Classics team stated, "With subjects as wide-ranging as feminism, romantic infatuation, class differences, familial conflict, bullying and love, and even what it means to be a math prodigy, Niki Byrne’s emotionally engaging and impressive directorial debut gives meaning to living in the modern world." Gersh negotiated the deal for the film with Sony Pictures Classics.
Radiance Films purchased eight Taiwanese classics from the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute (TFAI). The company will release these acquired titles in 2027, starting with screenings at London’s Garden Cinema later this month.
Francesco Simeoni initiated contact with TFAI during the Berlin Film Festival after viewing The Dull-Ice Flower at Cannes Classics. TFAI has completed approximately 12 restorations annually since 2013, totaling 110 titles.
The institute previously screened 4K restorations of King Hu’s A Touch of Zen and Dragon Inn at Cannes Classics in 2014 and 2015. A 2023 public survey ranked The Dull-Ice Flower as one of the most popular classics from Taiwan.
TFAI’s Chu said, "These big-name, A-list filmmakers are like a springboard for us to engage with major festivals and markets, and connect with key players in the industry." Between the mid-1950s and late 1970s, producers created more than 1,200 Taiwanese-language films, though only about 200 are estimated to still exist.
