Alliance Atlantis hasacquired international rights (excluding the English-speaking world and Italy)to The Station Agent, one of thehits of this year's Sundance Film Festival. Written and directed by TomMcCarthy, the film won the 2003 Audience Award and the Waldo Salt screenwritingprize at the festival where Miramax Films bought rights in the English-speakingworld and Italy.

Charlotte Mickie, managingdirector, international motion picture sales, at Alliance Atlantis, closed thedeal on the film and has already sold it in six territories. DiaphanaDistribution acquired rights in France, Shani Films in Israel, Monopole PatheFilms in Switzerland, Fu Works Film Rights in Benelux, Scanbox Entertainment inScandinavia and Audio Visual Enterprises in Greece.

The Station Agent stars Peter Dinklage as a dwarf who inherits a traindepot in rural New Jersey and finds himself enmeshed in the lives of his quirkyneighbours - played by Patricia Clarkson and Bobby Cannavale. Themismatched threesome forge an unlikely bond.

"In his wonderful firstfilm, Tom McCarthy evokes a charming bucolic fantasy that conveys a very real,touching and often funny message about our need for friendship and our efforts(sometimes hapless, often not) to connect," said Mickie.

The Station Agent is a SenArt Films Production in association withNext Wednesday. Producers are Mary Jane Skalski, Robert May and Kathryn Tucker.

Mickie also picked upinternational rights to another Sundance favourite All The Real Girls just before the festival. Other recent films pickedup for sales by Alliance Atlantis include Dylan Kidd's Roger Dodger and Rebecca Miller's Personal Velocity.