France's Memento Films haslaunched a new sales and acquisitions arm which will debut with Hiner Saleem'sCannes competition title Kilometre Zero.

Memento Films International (MFI) joins production companies Memento Films Production and La Cinefacture along with Memento Films Distribution (MFD) in a group of companies founded by former Pan Europeenne employees Emilie Georges and Alexandre Mallet-Guy.

International sales will be headed up by Marie Foulon who previously worked with Stephane Sperry at Liaisons Films and also for TFM Distribution and TF1 International.

Saleem's Kilometre Zerowas co-produced by La Cinefacture and Memento, but not all films produced bythe companies will automatically go to MFI for international sales or bereleased by MFD. The next film from Nils Tavernier, Aurore, is an inhouse production but will be released by Les Films De Losange in France in 2006with MFI handling sales.

Memento Films is alsoproducing The Golden Door by Emmanuele Crialese with MFD releasing inFrance and Wild Bunch handing international sales. Taxidermia fromdirector Gyorgy Palfi is currently shooting.

Foulon says, "It's just thebeginning so we are doing things on a case by case basis and varying the risks.We'd like to work with art house films that are also commercial. We're goingwith the flow for now and evolving."

The company will aim toacquire three to four films per annum, preferably beginning at script stage. Onthe distribution side, about five-six films are the goal.

MFD has worked successfullywith such films as Salvadore Allende and Saleem's Vodka Lemon inthe past and also recently acquired French distribution rights to L'Annulaire,a film by Diane Bertrand which is likely to be a strong market title forPyramide International during Cannes.