Le Pacte nabs “R100” Hitoshi Matsumoto's Tokyo Fest hit comedy

PanARMENIAN.Net - Hitoshi Matsumoto's S&M comedy romp R100 has been sold to French distributor Le Pacte at the TIFFCOM market of Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF). The deal was brokered by Free Stone Productions, which is handling international sales for the Yoshimoto Creative Agency and Warner Bros Japan production, The Hollywood Reporter said.

"R100 is very extreme and La Pacte said they are always looking something new, and so it's the perfect kind of film for them," Free Stone's Miyuki Takamatsu told The Hollywood Reporter.

Deals for territories including Korea, Taiwan and Thailand are still being negotiated, according to Takamatsu.

Matsumoto, half of comedy duo Downtown, made his directorial debut in 2007 with Big Man Japan (Dai Nippon-jin), a mockumentary that was picked up by Columbia Pictures for a U.S. remake that has yet to materialize.

North American rights for R100 were acquired by Drafthouse Films at Toronto International Film Festival, where its world premiere was held.

R100 tells the tale of an everyman character who signs up with an exclusive S&M club and enters a decidedly different world to the one he has known. The cast includes Nao Omori, Shinobu Terajima, Mao Daichi and Matsumoto himself.

The film opened in Japan at the beginning of October.