Spain's KWA has partnered with Mexico's Videocine and Warner Bros to represent titles from their joint production venture, Coyoacan Films, starting with local box office sensation The Second Night (La Segunda Noche).

The romantic comedy grossed $5.2m in Mexico at a time when several other local productions have also been taking the box office by storm. Sex, Shame And Tears (Sexo, Pudor Y Lagrimas), for example, is the third highest-grossing film ever in Mexico - behind only two Hollywood films, Titanic and Tarzan - after grossing more than $12.4m. Prior to these, few Mexican films earned more than $1m at the tills.

Next up through Coyoacan is Serafin, a $2.3m live action and animation children's film based on a successful TV series. The production starts shooting next month. As on Second Night, KWA is representing international rights on the film outside North and South America.

Videocine, the production arm of Mexican media giant Televisa, partnered with Warner last August to produce a slate of local projects. Videocine also has a long-standing distribution service deal with Warner Bros.

KWA chief Kevin Williams noted the rampant successes of Mexican films ranging from Sex, Shame & Tears and Herod's Law, to Gimme Power and Amores Perros, at their local box-office. "It's the first time Mexican films are being released as if by a major and it is like they have discovered a new market," he said.

Projects in development at Videocine, although not necessarily destined for the Warner partnership, include Games Of The Heart (Juegos Del Corazon), written by Rosa Anna Curiel; Stairway To Heaven (Escalera Al Cielo), scripted by Carolina Rivera; and They Say It Doesn't Hurt (Dicen Que No Duele), co-written by Issa Lopez and Benjamin Caan.