Spanish animation producer Dygra Films will launch an international sales departmentat the upcoming Cannes Film Festival.

Dygra executive producer Tania Pinto DaCunha, formerly of London's HanWay and Spain's Lolafilms, will head thenew Madrid-based department, working with sales executive Lucas Mackey.

Lumina Films' Marina Fuenteswill act as temporary sales consultant and continue to handle the company's Midsummer Dream, which has sold to morethan 60 countries.

Dygra will take over sales on its in-production 3Dcomputer-animated feature The Spirit Of The Forest. The film, which has pre-sold to aswath of territories including all of South America andthe Middle East, is the sequel to Dygra's2001 hit The Living Forest,which was seen by more than a million people in Europe. Spirit is planned for a 2007delivery.

Other Dygrafeatures in the works include animated HolyNight! planned for a Christmas 2007 release, and the company'sfirst live-action feature The Dead Go Fast(working title), an ensemble comedy set in a Galician village from The Living Forest co-director Angel de laCruz. That film's HD shoot will start in September.

"Dygrais growing and it makes sense for us to have our own international department,"said Pinto Da Cunha."Lumina has done an excellent job in launching ourstudio outside of Spain... but it is time for us to keep growing and vertically integrate thestudio."