Gary Rubin's fledgling distribution outfit First IndependentPictures has picked up domestic rights to Huck Botko and Andrew Gurland'scomedy Mail Order Wife (formerly Mail Order Bride) and plansto release it in theatres on Feb 11 2005.

The picture stars Eugenia Yuan, Adrian Martinez, and Gurland, whoco-wrote with Botko, and follows the misadventures of a lonely man from Queens,New York, who gets more than he bargains for when he orders an Asian bride.

Cherry Road Films chief executive officer Bo Hyde and presidentKendall Morgan produced and financed with Nina Yang and Bob Sheng'sDouble Edge Entertainment, and Ithaka creator Andrew Weiner also served asproducer with Avram Ludwig.

Hypnotic co-founders Doug Liman and David Bartis served asexecutive producers. Rubin acquired US theatrical rights earlier this week.

'Mail Order Wife is unlike any other film I haveseen,' Rubin said in a statement. 'It is a film that defies genre.It has everything a modern movie-goer is looking for: laughs, social commentary,a compelling story and tons of surprises.'

Mail Order Bride will be First Independent'sfirst release since Rubin, a former executive vice president of sales andacquisitions at Artisan Entertainment, launched the Santa Monica-based companyat the AFM in February.

First Independent aims to release four to six pictures a year andfocuses on pre-buying domestic rights to features while acquiring finishedfilms, and selectively providing P&A and finishing funds.

Rubin will also release Kristoffer Tabori's corporatethriller Pursued, which stars Christian Slater, Michael Clarke Duncan and EstellaWarren.