Australia's REP Film Distributors has bought New Zealand's second biggest local hit from last year, Robert Sarkies' comedy thriller Scarfies, about a group of students who quickly discover that crime should be left to professionals.

Traditionally films do not travel between Australia and New Zealand, despite the two countries being neighbours. Scarfies grossed NZ$1.2m last year, second only to Ian Mune's What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted in the local stakes, and together the two films gave the local industry its biggest local box office share since 1994, which had the benefit of Once Were Warriors.

Scarfies is being sold internationally by Portman Entertainment