Vortex Pictures, the international sales and finance outfit, set up by Nicolas Chartier and Dean Shapiro, has acquired international rights to Leopold, the latest picture from Nik Powell's Scala Productions directed by Mehdi Norowzian and starring Joseph Fiennes, Elisabeth Shue, Sam Shepard, Dennis Hopper, Deborah Kara Unger, Mary Stuart Masterson and Justin Chambers.

Set in South Carolina, the film is in post-production and follows a man as he changes lives on his journey towards redemption.

Vortex is also introducing Skinwalkers to buyers at Cannes, a special-effects driven $25m supernatural action film to be directed by Jason X director James Isaac. It will start shooting on July 22 in Europe with creature designs under the supervision of Oscar-winning make-up supervisors Chris Walas and Stephan Dupuis. Skinwalkers is produced by Vortex's partner Gold Circle Films.

Final new picture for Vortex is Emmett's Mark, a psychological thriller starring Scott Wolf, Tim Roth and Gabriel Byrne which has its premiere screening at Cannes.