In the wake of its highlysuccessful sequel, The Barbarian Invasions, the original 1986 film The Decline Of The AmericanEmpire has suddenly been given a new leaseon life in the marketplace. Both films were directed by Quebec auteur DenysArcand.

The Decline Of The AmericanEmpire, nominated for foreign-languageOscar in 1997 has just been re- licensed in several major territories includingFrance and Germany through Seville International, the recently launcheddivision of Montreal-based Seville Entertainment.

Decline was originally produced byMalofilm, the Montreal production and distribution company founded by ReneMalo, and has since then followed a torturous ownership path.

In 1996, Malo sold his company tosoftware developer Richard Szalwinski whorenamed it Behaviour Communications.

In 1999, Behaviour was then soldon to become Mark Damon's MDP Worldwide, while its library was sold to SevillePictures, then a start-up production and distribution outfit backed bySzalwinski's holding company BHVR and Quebec-based venture capital firm FICC.

Decline sales were concluded to France(Flach Pyramide), Germany (Tobis), Scandinavia (Sandrew Metronome), Italy(EMIK), Portugal (LNK), Benelux (Les Films de L'Elysee) and Mexico (Gussi).

Seville's president of internationalsales Anick Poirier said the company expects to complete remaining world salesat MIPCOM.

The Barbarian Invasions, which was soldthrough Flach Pyramide International, is Canadian's official entry for nextyear's foreign-language Oscar. Itwas bought for the US by Miramax.