Regent Releasing has acquired US rights from Fortissimo Films to Iranian foreign-language Oscar submission The Song Of Sparrows from Majid Majidi.

Regent plans a limited release in spring 2009 on the contemporary drama, which premiered at Berlinale last winter and tells of a poor man whose personality changes when he acquires material possessions. Reza Maryam, Maryam Akbari, Kamran Dehghan, Hamed Aghazi, Shabnam Aklaghi and Neshat Nazari star.

Majidi directed, produced and co-wrote the screenplay.

Regent's West Coast general manager and executive vice president of distribution and acquisitions Mark Reinhart brokered the deal with Fortissimo's senior vice president of sales and acquisitions Winnie Lau.