“Bound in Heaven” hits sales figures at Rediance and releases trailer

Specialized distribution and finance company Rediance has acquired the international distribution rights to “Bound in Heaven,” the directorial debut of experienced Chinese screenwriter Hou Xin.

The tragic love story will have its world premiere this week in the Centerpiece section of the Toronto International Film Festival. The film will then travel to San Sebastian for its European premiere.

Based on the novel of the same name by Liu Xiuwen, the drama revolves around a successful young woman living in the city with her abusive fiancé and a lonely, terminally ill husband who runs a noodle shop in Wuhan. A chance encounter sparks an immediate attraction between the two, and their connection brings light and levity to their emotional and dark journeys.

The film stars Ni Ni, who appeared in Zhang Yimou's “The Flowers of War” and the 2022 hit “Lost in the Stars.” Zhou You, who also appeared in Jia Zhangke's Cannes and Toronto selection “Caught by the Tides,” and Liao Fan (“Black Coal, Thin Ice,” “Ash Is Purest White”) round out the cast.

Hou has a wealth of films to her credit. Her top films include “Shower” (directed by Chen Daming), “Kung Fu Hustle” (Stephen Chow) and “Sunflower” (Zhang Yang).

The film was produced by Such A Good Film and Ling Light, which also holds distribution rights in mainland China. Gao Nan was an executive producer of the film. An Anjin and Justine O. are producers.

Rediance is one of the very few specialised film distribution companies from China with a permanent international presence. At Cannes this year, it handled the Chinese-speaking territories rights for Miguel Gomes' acclaimed main competition film “Grand Tour” and the multi-territory rights for the Brazilian director's quincenight title “The Falling Sky”.

The company is still in business with its most recent Berlin titles: “Sleep With Your Eyes Open” by Nele Wohlatz and “She Sat There Like All Ordinary Ones” by Qu Youjia. Last year, Anthony Chen’s “The Breaking Ice” was also in business.

Watch the trailer for “Bound in Heaven” here.