Toronto-based Alliance Atlantis and Universal's boutique outfit Focus Features have agreed to renew their distribution agreement to December 31, 2005.

The deal covers all media in Canada and will include such upcoming titles as Neil LaBute's The Shape Of Things, starring Gretchen Mol, Paul Rudd, Rachel Weisz, and Frederick Weller, which premieres at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival; Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's 21 Grams, starring Benicio Del Toro, Sean Penn, and Naomi Watts; and Michel Gondry's Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, with Jim Carrey set to star.

Todd Haynes' Far From Heaven, nominated for four Golden Globes, is a Focus film currently on release through the Canadian company.