EST N8 has acquired worldwide distribution rights to "Pilgrims," the animated science-fiction feature from director Heo Pyoungkang, following the film's presentation at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival. The deal marks the first major acquisition for the project, which represents Heo's follow-up to his work on the Netflix anime series "Japan Sinks: 2020."
The acquisition gives EST N8 a completed animated feature with established genre appeal and an internationally recognized director attached. Annecy, held annually in the French alpine town of Annecy, is the world's largest and most prestigious animation film festival, drawing buyers, distributors, and programmers from across the global industry each June. A premiere or market presentation at Annecy frequently serves as the launching point for international sales on animated features.
Heo directed episodes of "Japan Sinks: 2020," the 10-episode Netflix adaptation of Sakyo Komatsu's 1973 disaster novel. The series, produced by Science SARU and released globally on Netflix in July 2020, depicted a Japanese archipelago devastated by earthquakes and tsunamis, and was noted for its unflinching treatment of mass casualties and displacement. Heo's work on the series placed him among a cohort of Korean and Japanese animators gaining wider international attention through streaming platforms.
EST N8 is a film distribution and sales company that has built a catalog around genre titles and international acquisitions. The company's move on "Pilgrims" follows a pattern of buyers targeting finished animated features with crossover potential between festival audiences and streaming platforms.
Animated science fiction has become one of the more reliable categories in international film sales. Titles that premiere at Annecy often secure distribution across multiple territories within months of their first screening, as buyers use the festival to evaluate completed films rather than early footage. The timing of the EST N8 deal, announced during the Annecy festival cycle, positions "Pilgrims" for territory-by-territory sales through the remainder of 2024 and into 2025.
Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. No release date or distribution territories were announced alongside the deal.
The film joins a growing slate of Asian-animated science fiction features finding international buyers at European markets. Annecy's market section, which runs alongside the main festival, has expanded in recent years to accommodate the rising volume of animated features produced in South Korea, Japan, and China seeking global distribution partners.
Heo's credits also include work as an animator and unit director on several Japanese television productions before "Japan Sinks: 2020" brought his name to a broader international audience. "Pilgrims" is his first feature-length directorial project.
