《Pilgrims》(Pilgrims) signs overseas sales, the sci-fi story of Golden Clover Heads to International Screens

ˆ South Korean sci-fi animated feature film Pilgrims has signed a global sales agent.EST N8 will launch international sales from the Busan International Film Festival Asian Content and Film Market, which is the first animation work operated by the company.The agreement was negotiated by EST N8 studio head Sophie Changhui Shi and Desert Bloom Pictures co-CEO Hugh Cha, who participated in the negotiations on behalf of the film's production company 21 Studios.

The film is based on a short story from Golden Grass Leaf's best-selling novel collection If We Cannot Go at the Speed of Light.The book has sold a total of 400,000 copies, and Pilgrims is the first feature film adaptation of this collection of novels.

The story begins in a village that has been freed from emotional pain.After residents reach the age of 18, they must go to earth to live for one year.Sophie gradually remembered her friend Daisy who disappeared on earth, and also discovered the disturbing truth behind the village.She began to wonder if there was any point in being completely free from pain without love in her life.

The main voice actors are Kim Hyang-ki, Park Chi-hoo and Lee Joo-young.Kim Hyang-ki has starred in Along with the Gods and Innocent Witness, Park Ji-hoo's works include All of Us Are Dead and Concrete Utopia, and Lee Joo-young has starred in Itaewon Class and Broker.

The music was composed by Huang Zhaoyun, the lead singer of the band Se So Neon.Her solo work includes the song Smoke Sprite, a collaboration with BTS member RM.

Director Xu Pingkang has worked in the Japanese animation industry for nearly 20 years and this is his first time directing an animated feature film.He served as the series director of Japan Sinks: 2020, and also participated in Masaaki Yuasa's The Night Is Too Short, Girls Go On!《 Unit director for The Night Is Short, Walk on Girl.We Hyun-song, the head of character design, participated in Inside Out 2 and served as a concept artist for KPop Demon Hunters.

When Xu Pingkang talked about this movie, he described Sophie's journey as a process of actively enduring pain and choosing love.He hopes to discuss how people accept an imperfect world and learn to love each other.

》Pilgrims--(Pilgrims) won the Bucheon International Animation Film Festival Technical Award in 2025, and this year was selected for the Animated Thrills & Chills section of the Annecy International Animation Film Festival.Special Movie City then distributed the film to Korean theaters.

21 Studios is based in Seoul and engages in IP development and production across film and television.The head of the company, Huh Kyubum, previously worked at Union Investment Partners and mainly invested in Korean content.He said that in the adaptation, the team hopes to retain the emotional intimacy of the Golden Clover story while establishing a world suitable for the film.Bu Chuan's award and Annecy's selection allowed them to see that Sophie's Choice can resonate with audiences from different cultures.

EST N8's international sales and distribution efforts will be driven by three executives: Jan Paul Villanueva, executive vice president of acquisitions and global distribution, Cathy Ni, head of sales and U.S. distribution, and Shams Pasha, head of global sales and marketing.The company was established by the merger of EST Studios and N8. It operates the financing, sales and distribution of Asian films, and also introduces international films to the Asian market.