Indiedistributor Tartan Films has acquired UK rights from Wild Bunch to ThomasClay's controversial Cannes Critics Week entry, The Great Ecstasy of RobertCarmichael.

The feature,which is 25 year old Clay's directorial debut, stars newcomers Dan Spencer,Ryan Winsley and Charles Mnene alongside established talents Danny Dyer (HumanTraffic, The Football Factory) and Lesley Manville (Vera Drake, All Or Nothing). The original screenplay wasco-written by Thomas Clay and the film's producer Joseph Lang.

The GreatEcstasy of Robert Carmichael is set in a small English coastal town and sees three teenageboys drawn into a world of temptation and violence.

The GreatEcstasy of Robert Carmichael will premiere in the British Gala section at the EdinburghInternational Film Festival on August 24. Tartan Films will release thefilm nationwide later in the year.