Philippe Bober's boutique production and sales outfit The Co-Production Office has picked up world sales duties to Miike Takashi's psychological horror picture Audition.

The film which scooped the FIPRESCI and KNF awards at the Rotterdam festival in January is a tale of a man who advertises for a wife by auditioning actresses for a film project. The one he falls for, however, seems to be waiting for him to fall into her trap. It stars actor-turned musician Isibashi Ryo. Takaski's previous credits range from porn to yakuza films and he won several prizes for 1996 effort Fudoh: The New Generation (Gokudo Sengokushi: Fudo) and 1998's The Bird People In China (Chuguko No Chojin).

The Co-Production Office is also handling two other hot films at Cannes; Roy Andersson's competition film Songs From The Second Floor, and Chinese director Lou Ye's Suzhou River, which was produced by Bober's Essential Films and scooped a heap of prizes at both the Rotterdam and Berlin festivals.

At Cannes, the company is also presenting Austrian director Martin Gschlacht's Inter-View and two new projects in development through Essential: Bruce LaBruce's Come As You Are and Jessica Hausner's Lovely Rita.