Lions Gate Films International has announced a raft of sales on HotelRwanda, Terry George'sToronto Audience Award winning drama starring Don Cheadle.

Thepicture has sold to On Pictures in Spain, LNK for Portugal, Audio Visual forGreece, Shaw Renters for Singapore, Eagle Films for the Middle East, Box OfficeEntertainment for Thailand and New Films for Bulgaria/Romania.

"Fora movie that people thought would be tough to pre-sell it's proven to be theopposite," Lions Gate Films International president Nick Meyer told Screen,

"The reaction we've had speaks to the power of the project and DonCheadle's performance. If you have a great piece of material and a director whocan deliver award-worthy performances you will find distributors."

Hotel Rwanda is based on the true-life story of a hotel manager who risked hislife during the 1990s genocide to save 1,200 of his countrymen.

Nick Nolte and Sophie Okonedo also star in the picture, whichreceives its US premiere at AFI FEST on Nov 11 and will open in the US throughUnited Artists on Dec 22.

Lions Gate Films International was also due to commence sales atAFM this week on Saw 2,the just-announced sequel to the US horror hit that opened in the US chartslast weekend on $18.3m.

Other hot titlesexpected to perform strongly at AFM include Luis Mandoki's El Salvador drama InnocentVoices and TheDevil's Rejects, RobZombie's horror follow-up to last year's House Of 1,000 Corpses.