Lucky Red finds partners for Mereu's Sound Of Wood

Italy's Lucky Red is teamingup with France's Haut et Court andBelgium's Artemis to co-produceSalvatore Mereu's new feature,Sound Of Wood (Sonteaula).

The $3.85m film, produced byAndrea Occhipinti of Lucky Red, hasjust started shooting in Sardinia for20 weeks.

It is adapted from a book byGiuseppe Fiore, about a 12-year-oldshepherd whose father is unjustlyaccused of killing a man and sent toprison. The boy eventually becomes abandit, and applies his own codeof justice.

Celluloid Dreams is handlingworld-wide sales rights on the film,which has received backing fromEurimages and the Italian ministry ofculture.

Sound Of Wood will be released both theatrically and as a two-partminiseriesin Italy for Rai Fiction.

Mereu's previous film, ThreeSteps Dance, won Critics' Week inVenicein 2003 and screened in Sundance and Rotterdam.