ThinkFilm, the fledgling North American distributor that was set up recently by a team of former Lions Gate executives, has acquired US rights to Venice-winning French title L'Emploi Du Temps (Time Out), the second feature film by Human Resources director Laurent Cantet.

Since the Toronto film festival some ten companies have been seeking to bag US rights to Time Out, which won the Golden Lion in Venice's Cinema Of The Present section. The fill will now be handled in the US through ThinkFilm's New York satellite office that is run by Mark Urman.

Celluloid Dreams, which is handling worldwide sales, has sold the title in some twenty territories. Europe is already sold out, including the UK (to Artificial Eye), Germany (Alamode Films), Italy (Mikado) and Spain (Golem), as well as most of Latin America (Mexico went to Quality Films, Colombia to Cineplex, Brazil to Imovision and Argentina to Orler). Canadian rights were picked up by Seville Pictures.

Time Out - based on the true story of a man who loses his job and then fakes a completely bogus professional career - will be released in France in November by producer/distributor Haut & Court. For full review click on the"Film Reviews only" checkbox button on the Screen Daily home page and type in Time Out in the search bar before pressing return.