US distributor Wellspringhas picked up all US rights to Jean-Francois Pouliot's Canadian hit SeducingDoctor Lewis (La Grande Seduction), which won the World Cinema Audience Award atSundance 2004.

Wellspring's head ofacquisitions Marie Therese Guirgis negotiated the deal with Matt Littin ofCinetic Media, who represented producers Roger Frappier and Luc Vandal of MaxFilms.

The picture tells the storyof a ragtag fishing community on a small island in Quebec whose inhabitantsmust persuade a young doctor to take up residency in order for construction tobegin on a much-needed factory.

"We fell in love with SeducingDoctor Lewis the moment we saw it,"Guirgis said in a statement. "It's the rare kind of foreign film that has realpotential to reach a larger audience because it is both intelligent andincredibly appealing."

A theatrical release isplanned for late June, with a video/DVD release to follow.

Seducing Doctor Lewis was the highest grossing film of 2003 in Quebec,where it grossed more than $8m and is slated for release in English-speakingCanada this spring.

Wellspring's upcomingtheatrical releases include Alexander Sokurov's Father And Son, Bruno Dumont's 29 Palms, Andre Techine's Strayed, and Marco Bellocchio's Good Morning, Night.