Gurinder Chadha, director of Sundance opener What's Cooking and Bhaji On The Beach, is directing an adaptation of William Sutcliffe's best-selling novel Are You Experienced for Canada's Alliance Atlantis.

The story, likened to The Beach with a sense of humour, is about back-packing teenagers in India looking for love, sex and their tantric centres. Chadha is to shoot the film this year.

Unveiling this year's production line-up, Seaton McLean, recently installed as president of Alliance Atlantis Motion Picture Production, also announced that Mike Barker is to direct Petticoat War. The British period romp is about a French spy scheming and seducing his way through 18th century British establishment.

Alliance has also unveiled a first-look deal with Jeremy Podeswa, director of The Five Senses. Podeswa is developing an original screenplay titled Grace.

Other projects on Alliance's eclectic slate of projects range from Ronny Yu's $20m-plus thriller 51st State with Samuel L Jackson and Robert Carlyle. 51st State, being produced by the UK's Focus Films, is expected to shoot in Liverpool in the autumn.

Other titles include Morvern Caller, from Ratcatcher director Lynne Ramsay; Fine And Mellow, a story of the love affair between Orson Welles and Billie Holiday being produced by Christine Vachon; and Marlowe, with the UK's Natural Nylon.