IFC Films, the US distributor recently formed by the New York-based Independent Film Channel (IFC), has acquired all North American distribution rights to Jim McKay's Our Song - a film produced by IFC's production arm IFC Productions.

IFC Films, run by senior vice president of marketing and distribution Bob Berney, is planning to release Our Song in May 2001. The film, McKay's second after Girls Town, is a coming-of-age drama set in the inner city and stars Kerry Washington, Anna Simpson and Melissa Martinez as members of the real-life Jackie Robinson Steppers Marching Band.

Our Song, which played in competition at the Sundance Film Festival this year, was produced by McKay with Paul Mezey and Diana Williams and executive produced by Caroline Kaplan, Jonathan Sehring and Michael Stipe. It is a production of Stipe's C-Hundred Film Corp, Beech Hill Films and Journeyman Pictures along with IFC Productions.

IFC Films will release its first picture, IFC Productions' Spring Forward in December, followed by releases next year including Kristian Levring's The King Is Alive and Lukas Moodysson's Together.