Film Sales Agents As Intermediaries in Shaping Representations of South Korean Cinema in the Global Film Field

This paper analyzes the professional development of South Korean film sales agents since the 2000s and their role in the international recognition of South Korean cinema in the global cinematic field. Film sales agents, as cultural intermediaries, play a crucial role in the international distribution of films: they establish relationships with foreign distributors, buyers, film festivals, and public institutions, and engage in professional activities ranging from promotion and marketing to the sale of rights to distributors, sometimes including financing and co-production. What were the national and international conjunctures that led to the emergence of this profession in South Korea? What are the objective attributes of these agents? What consequences did their professional development have on the internationalization of South Korean cinema? The analysis based on interviews, observations at festivals, and a study of documents shows that the creation of the profession of sales agent in South Korea was related to the evolution of the division of labor in film distribution, as well as to the emergence of international sales as a new work domain, or “jurisdiction” (Abbott, 1988), which occurred in accordance with the increasing circulation of South Korean films since the 1990s. While no mandatory training or degree is required to become a sales agent, all interviewees possess a high volume of linguistic and academic capital. Involved in the process of film selection by festivals and foreign distributors, sales agents participate in shaping representations of “Korean” cinema in the global film field, by developing and emphasizing “selling points” as well as providing promotional materials. This study aims to contribute to scholarship on intermediaries in art production, as well as to the understanding of the conditions of globalization of South Korean cinema which has been on the 'periphery' in terms of international recognition and its place in the global market.