Jere Hausfater's Essential Entertainment has picked up international rights to David Zucker's political satire Big Fat Important Movie, known as An American Carol in North America.

Essential will introduce the film to buyers here and screens the film on September 6 and 7 at Deluxe Postproduction. Vivendi Entertainment holds domestic rights to the project starring Kevin Farley as a notorious documentary film-maker renowned for his attacks on America who launches a crusade to abolish the Fourth Of July holiday weekend.

The film was screened by Zucker to 1,000 attendees at the Republican National Convention last week in Minneapolis St Paul.

Kelsey Grammer, Leslie Neilsen, country music star Trace Adkins, Dennis Hopper, James Woods, Robert Davi, Geoffrey Arend, Serdar Kalsin and Jon Voight round out the key cast.

Zucker co-wrote the screenplay with Myrna Sokoloff and Lewis Friedman and Mpower Pictures' Stephen McEveety and John Shepherd produced and Sokoloff served as executive producer.

'Toronto is the perfect international setting to introduce buyers to Big Fat Important Movie,' Essential's president of international John Fremes said. 'With the current international political climate, showcasing the international title during the Toronto Film Festival will give the audience a taste of Zucker's continued comic genius with this project.'

Zucker previously directed Airplane!, Scary Movie 3 and 4 and the first two Naked Gun films.

Essential's sales slate includes Ed Zwick's second world war Resistance thriller Defiance starring Daniel Craig and Liev Schreiber, which Paramount Vantage will release in North America, Richard Loncraine's 1950s-set comedy My One And Only with Renee Zellweger, which CAA represents in North America and will tempt buyers with footage here, and Gregor Jordan's adaptation of the Bret Easton Ellis novel The Informers that Senator holds in North America.

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