Fireside Entertainment, anew Dallas-based film financing and production outfit, is in Cannes for thefirst time with two new projects - Connected and A Knight's Fall- in addition to its completed thriller A Killer Within which is beingsold by Showcase Entertainment.

Run by three partners -director Brad Keller, screenwriter Chris Peirson and production head MichelleHarvey- Fireside is attempting to create a viable, longterm production outfitbased in Dallas which will encourage the growth of production in the region.Fireside works with its LA representative Jean-Pierre Henreaux.

The first film from thecompany, A Killer Within was directed by Keller and written by Peirsonand stars C Thomas Howell, Sean Young and Ben Browder. Connected, alsowritten by Peirson and to be directed by Keller, is a love story set againstthe backdrop of the Cajun mafia. To be shot in both Louisiana and Montana,Fireside plans to have the film before the cameras in 2005.

A Knight's Fall, a medieval fantasy also from the Keller/Peirsonteam, is scheduled to shoot in Hawaii.

"We are invested until about2007, so we plan to be here for the longterm," said Harvey in Cannes yesterday.