Japan's Toei Co. has picked up rights to Sergei Bodrov's Oscar contender "Mongol."
Pic, which is repping Kazakhstan in the foreign-language category, marks the first-ever deal between the Japanese giant and Munich-based Beta.
The historical epic chronicles the early life of 13th century Mongolian leader Genghis Khan and his campaign to conquer most of Asia.
Pic stars Japanese superstar Tadanobu Asano, making the film a must for Nippon auds.
Toei will release the subtitled original Mongolian-language version of "Mongol" in April on 100 to 150 prints.
Picturehouse is releasing the pic Stateside later this year.
"Mongol" is a CTB Film Co. and Andreevskiy Flag Co. production, in co-production with X Filme Creative Pool and Kinofabrika.
Contact Ed Meza at
ed.meza@mannaa.de