Deepa Mehta's Water passed the C$500,000 ($419,000) mark this pastweekend, achieving the milestone in 10 days on 41 screens for a screen averageof approximately $7000.

It was enough to earn 10thspot on the nation's box office Top Ten, a rare feat for a Canadian filmproduced outside of Quebec. That said, the film was shot entirely in Sri Lankain Hindi, hardly a ringing endorsement of the potential of Canadian film athome. On the other hand, the film has benefited from the large south Asiancommunities in Vancouver and Toronto and other major cities an indication ofCanada's multicultural mix.

Hussain Amarshi, presidentof Toronto-based distributor Mongrel Media told Screendaily the film iscrossing the cultural divide. "The challenge was to see if it could work inboth south Asian market and the mainstream and I think we've done it."

The film opened November 4on eleven screens and grossed C$150,000 garnering a strong screen averageof C$14,000. It ranked number onein several cinemas across the country.