Cambodian Wedding Dress Remake Leads Abnormal Studios' Busan Slate
A Phnom Penh-set remake of South Korea's 2010 drama Wedding Dress will lead Malaysia's Abnormal Studios into the Asian Contents & Film Market in Busan, as reported by Variety.
The company is selling the film to international buyers ahead of its local release. The market in Busan is where distributors shop for rights to release films in their own territories.
The adaptation centres on Dalin, a single mother who designs bridal gowns, and her 10-year-old daughter Mina. The story moves the Korean original to Cambodia's capital to explore love, resilience and loss.
It is the first feature from Huang Han. Her earlier short work has screened at the Berlin, Busan and Pingyao film festivals.
Horror sits alongside the drama on the slate. The Hungry One is the upcoming feature from Venezuelan director Alejandro Hidalgo, whose credits include No Voltees (2024), The Exorcism of God (2021) and The House at the End of Time (2013), according to Variety.
The Exorcism of God was distributed in more than 150 countries. The House at the End of Time was Venezuela's top-grossing horror film.
The Hungry One is in pre-production, the stage before shooting starts. Its producers are now working to close the last round of financing.
Abnormal is also handling Ali & Ben's Spicy Meats, an independent cannibal black comedy-horror from Feisal and Iskander Azizuddin. The slate includes the Malaysian science-fiction fantasy Mimpi Kita: Castle in the Air, which took part in the It Project section of the NAFF Project Market at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, a pitching forum for unfinished projects.
Two Hong Kong-linked titles complete the line-up. Because of You Ka Kui celebrates Canto rock frontman Wong Ka Kui, the Cantonese-language rock singer. Next Stop, Somewhere is a drama led by Hong Kong veteran Anthony Wong.
Abnormal Studios is a subsidiary of Westec Media Limited. It has been acquiring and releasing films since 2020 and has handled more than 400 titles to date, releasing around 100 films a year across Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan and Mongolia, as reported by Variety. The company launched its sales arm at FilMart in Hong Kong, the trade reported in March.
What makes this stand out is the breadth. A local-language family remake travels to Busan with horror, comedy-horror, science-fiction and music titles aimed at very different buyers.
