Highlight Film has picked up German speaking rights for Gurinder Chadha's box office hit Bend It Like Beckham, which has so far clocked up $6.6m on its UK release.

Highlight plans to organise a large scale marketing campaign to launch the football comedy into German cinemas this year and has already indicated that the film will have another title for its German release.

Bend It Like Beckham, which was co-produced by Germany's Road Movies Filmproduktion and received backing from FilmFoerderung Hamburg, joins a 2002 release slate which includes Leon Ichaso's Pinero (to be released on June 20), Tsui Hark's Zu Warriors and Kurt Wimmer's scifi drama Equilibrium.

Highlight's current German release of Kevin Smith's Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back opened on April 18 and took $300,000 in its first four days.