Hong Kong's Celestial Pictures has signed a multi-year video distribution deal with France's Wild Side Films for numerous titles from its classic Shaw Brothers library.

Wild Side will release more than 40 Shaw Brothers titles - including The One-Armed Swordsman and The 36th Chamber Of Shaolin - in French-speaking territories over the next five years.

"Being able to work on the Shaw Brothers library is a dream come true for us. We've dreamt about seeing these movies for years," said Wild Side CEO Manuel Chiche.

Wild Side was launched in February 2002 as a subsidiary of Jean Labadie's Bac Films, which releases its movies theatrically. On video, Wild Side's titles are handled through Universal Pictures Video France.