Chinese Sci-Fi Thriller ‘Variant’ Lands North American, European and Asian Deals (EXCLUSIVE)

Chinese film “Variant,” a sci-fi action thriller from director Qilin Li, is headed to North America with International Media Network (IMN), which acquired U.S. and Canadian rights.

Sales company Cappu Films unveiled that deal and others across Europe, Asia and Latin America at TIFFCOM, the market of the Tokyo International Film Festival.

MT Trading has taken Germany, Austria and German-speaking Switzerland. Blue Swan Entertainment has Italy, in a deal that also covers Italian-speaking Switzerland, San Marino and Vatican City.

Great Movies has Latin America, and Media4Fun has picked up the film for Poland. Dimension Pictures takes the SAARC territories of South Asia, and San Chi Films has Taiwan. A deal for Japan was brokered by Bob Jones of IPA Asia.

“Variant” follows Jamie, who lived through an alien creature’s attack on board a spacecraft. Twenty years after fleeing to Earth, he comes face to face with a new variant of the creature and has to confront the threat that wiped out his family.

Jim Liu, whose credits include “The Farewell” and “Ip Man 4: The Finale,” leads the cast with Shuting Yang and Philippe Joly.

“We’re delighted to bring ‘Variant’ to audiences across a growing number of international markets,” said Janice Woo of Cappu Films. “We had a great experience working with the director and production team on ‘Mutant,’ so it’s a pleasure to work together again on ‘Variant.’ We like building relationships with filmmakers that continue from one film to the next.”

Cappu Films is still talking to buyers about the territories that remain open. Terms of the deals were not disclosed.

The company handles international sales and distribution, and focuses on independent filmmakers and genre titles that can travel.