Belgium's leading independent distributor, Cineart/Cinelibre, has restructured its ownership, with Eliane Du Bois buying outright control after a 25 year partnership with Thierry Abel.

Du Bois took over Abel's share of the business when the duo decided to separate their interests and concentrate respectively on distribution and exhibition. Cineart, the operation's more mainstream label, is set to handle The Lord Of The Rings and has already enjoyed success this year with titles such as Cannes-winner The Son's Room.

"The separation allows me more freedom to take the company where I want to go, without having to answer to anyone else, for instance in video," said Du Bois. "Now I can more easily take on other partners, when it suits specific projects."

The venture's art-house label Cinelibre this year hit gold with Agnes Varda's The Gleaners and Belgium's entry for the Foreign Language Oscar, Lieven Debrauwer's Pauline & Paulette, which has amassed 185,000 admissions to date.