Focus Features has acquired North America, Italy, Mexico, South Korea, Scandinavia and South Africa from StudioCanal to the documentary Baby(ies).

Thomas Balmes directed the film from an idea by Alain Chabat charting the early lives of four babies in Mongolia, Namibia, San Francisco and Tokyo from birth to first steps. The film is in post-production and scheduled to open in 2010.

Chabat produced with Amandine Billot and Christine Rouxel through his Chez Wam production company, whose Los-Angeles-based subsidiary Wam Films has entered into a first-look deal with Focus. Chabat’s partner at Wam is Stephanie Danan.

Baby(ies) will mark the first time that StudioCanal is direct distributor of a film in France, the UK, Germany, and the Benelux. StudioCanal is handling all other international sales.

Focus production coordinator Christopher Kopp is supervising the feature for president of production John Lyons.

Wam Films recently produced A Thousand Words starring Eddie Murph currently in post-production. Chez Wam has produced such French-language hits as Prete-Moi Ta Main, and Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatre.

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