Heretic is positioning this as an exciting discovery — a rising Southeast Asian voice with a distinctive sophomore vision that the international market hasn't fully tapped yet. The Locarno Competition slot gives it instant credibility, and Heretic's global sales network means serious buyers will be paying attention.
Insiders note this deal signals Heretic is doubling down on auteur-driven international cinema after previous successes with Asian co-productions. Word in the acquisition trenches suggests several distributors were circling 'Hearing,' making this a competitive situation that Heretic clearly won — and paid for accordingly.
The film is Lê Bảo's second feature, following his debut work. It will screen in the International Competition at Locarno Film Festival — one of cinema's most prestigious stages for emerging filmmakers. A clip from 'Hearing' has been released exclusively as part of the sales material.
This isn't just another acquisition — it's a signal that international buyers are hungry for fresh voices outside the usual festival circuits, and Lê Bảo just became someone worth watching.
Heretic has officially signed on as worldwide sales agent for 'Hearing' ('Thính Giác'), the sophomore feature from Vietnamese director Lê Bảo, with the film locked into the International Competition at this year's Locarno Film Festival. The deal was announced alongside an exclusive clip from the project, giving international buyers their first real look at what Heretic is betting on as a potential breakout title for fall markets. Written and directed by Lê Bảo, 'Hearing' follows Ninh, a mechanic whose career installing decibel measurement equipment sends him spiraling into unexpected personal and professional chaos.
The synopsis suggests the film explores themes of perception, sound, and the way technical work can distort one's relationship to the world around them — material that clearly resonated with Locarno programmers looking for distinctive voices in their competition lineup. For Heretic, this acquisition represents a calculated move into Southeast Asian cinema at a moment when distributors worldwide are actively seeking fresh perspectives from regions historically underrepresented on the international festival circuit.
The company has been building a reputation for championing auteur-driven projects that might otherwise slip through the cracks of major studio acquisitions, and 'Hearing' fits squarely within that strategy. The Locarno Film Festival carries significant weight in establishing filmmakers' international credentials, particularly for directors at the sophomore feature stage. A competition slot there functions as both validation and launchpad — previous competition titles have gone on to secure distribution deals across North America, Europe, and Asia within weeks of their premieres.
Lê Bảo's placement in this prestigious context suggests festival programmers see something distinctive enough in 'Hearing' to give it a major platform over more established names. Industry observers note that Heretic's willingness to move aggressively on 'Hearing' reflects broader market dynamics: distributors are increasingly competitive when it comes to securing rights for films that premiere in A-list competitions, and the window between festival debut and commercial release has become shorter as buyers try to lock down promising titles before word-of-mouth can drive up asking prices. Whether 'Hearing' lives up to that early enthusiasm will depend on how audiences respond when the film screens in Switzerland this August — but Heretic clearly believes it has a sleeper hit on its hands.
