Blow-Up Pictures, the digital film-making production outfit behind Series 7 - Contenders and Chuck And Buck, has signed a three year, multi-picture distribution agreement with US independent distributor Lot 47 Films whereby Lot 47 will provide domestic distribution for at least 50% of Blow-Up's film productions to Jan 2004.

Films under the agreement will be budgeted at up to $1m and will include a minimum of eight digital feature films. The deal does not cover films produced by Open City Films, the other production company run by Blow-Up principals Jason Kliot and Joana Vicente which has credits including Welcome To The Dollhouse, Three Seasons and Down To You.

No films have yet been determined under the deal and it does not necessarily include the next three films from Blow-Up which are in post-production - the untitled Nicole Holofcener film with Brenda Blethyn and Catherine Keener, Peter Mattei's Nine Scenes About Love featuring Steve Buscemi, Carol Kane, Rosario Dawson and Adrien Grenier and The Pornographer's Love Story featuring Irene Jacob and Martin Donovan.

Describing the deal as a great one for a producer, Kliot says that the film-maker is "getting the best deal you can get at Sundance at minimum, because it includes full-blown theatrical distribution."

Lot 47 co-principal Scott Lipsky added that since he would have day one access to the creative team, they could be involved in the marketing process at a critically early stage. "We could take advantage of our accessibility to the talent by creating marketing materials, trailers and posters early on. When you buy a film at Sundance, that process starts much later."

Lot 47 partner Jeff Lipsky said that the deal gave independent film-makers the freedom of major studio directors like Steven Spielberg and Woody Allen.

Lot 47's 2001 lineup includes documentary The Ballad Of Ramblin' Jack, Christopher Livingston's Hit & Runway, Amos Kollek's Fast Food, Fast Women and Harry Sinclair's The Price Of Milk.