Cappu Films takes Starbright fantasy to Busan market

Cappu Films has acquired international sales rights to Starbright, an English-language fantasy adventure starring John Rhys-Davies, Diego Boneta and Alexandra Dowling, on the eve of the Asian Contents & Film Market in Busan, Variety reported on 9 October.

That deal puts Cappu Films in charge of selling the film to distributors territory by territory outside its home market. It is routine business at festival markets, where a sales agent arrives with a finished film and leaves with the agreements that decide where it will be seen. Busan's market, held alongside the Busan International Film Festival, is a major meeting point for buyers looking across Asia and beyond.

The film is directed by Francesco Lucente, who also produced it. Dowling plays Aisling, a young woman who is hunted after making a wish on a shooting star. The wish has consequences.

Rhys-Davies plays the archangel Raphael, who hides the star's light inside Aisling's heart to keep it safe. Boneta plays Joshua, a stranger who goes on the run with her.

The wider cast includes Ted Levine, Becky Ann Baker, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Elisabeth Röhm and Christine Ebersole, Variety reported. The line-up places the three leads at the centre of the story, with five established screen performers around them.

Music is part of the early sales pitch. The score is by Ludek Drizhal and is in contention for the Public Choice Award at the World Soundtrack Awards, where the public votes for its favourite. A nomination race of that kind can help a new fantasy title get noticed before buyers have seen full box-office results.

Cappu Films describes itself as an international film and television sales and distribution company connecting projects with buyers across Asia and beyond, Cappu Films says. It also offers international publicity and media relations for filmmakers, screen talent and cultural projects through Cappu Communications. For independent films, a sales launch of this type is often the first practical step towards cinema dates, with each territory agreeing its own release plan.

What makes this stand out is the timing. Arriving in Busan with the sales rights settled lets buyers screen the film and start talks at once. For fans, this means the next news to watch is which distributors pick it up, and when the first release dates follow.