Germany- and UK-based K5 International has taken on world sales rights to The Visitor.

Groundswell Productions and Participant Productions backed the Tom McCarthy drama, his follow-up to The Station Agent.

The Visitor had its world premiere in Toronto to solid reviews. Overture Films picked up North American rights in September and plan to release in spring 2008.

Mary Jane Skalski and Michael London produced, with executive producers Omar Amanat, Jeff Skoll, Ricky Strauss and Chris Salvaterra.

Richard Jenkins plays a college professor who becomes unexpectedly involved with a young immigrant couple in New York City.

The deal was negotiated between Andrew Hurwitz of Schreck Rose on behalf of Groundswell and Participant and Bill Stephens, Oliver Simon and Daniel Baur of K5 International.

'The Visitor represents exactly the kind of film we want to work with at K5 International,' said Stephens, Baur and Simon. 'It is intelligent, beautifully made, very well acted, emotionally engaging and has a great deal to say about the world we live in. We are very proud indeed to be working with Tom McCarthy and the production team.'

London and Strauss added: 'We are thrilled to have K5 International on board as our foreign sales partner on a movie we have such high hopes for internationally as well as domestically.'

K5 International, established as a new sales arm in January, will represent four to six features per year, with priority being given to commercial English-language titles.