Miramax Films has acquired UK rights to Enigma, the World War II thriller directed by Michael Apted which premiered at this year's Sundance Film Festival. Intermedia co-financed the film with Germany's Senator Film and handled the UK sales to Miramax.

Meanwhile Manhattan Pictures International, the recently formed New York-based producer/distributor run by Paul Cohen and Julius Nasso, is in the final stages of negotiating domestic rights to the film; it will be one of the company's first films in theatres.

Scripted by Tom Stoppard from the novel by Robert Harris, Enigma is based around code-breakers at the top-secret Bletchley Park operation in 1940s England. It stars Dougray Scott, Kate Winslet, Jeremy Northam and Saffron Burrows and was co-produced by Mick Jagger's Jagged Films and Lorne Michaels' Broadway Video. One of Winslet's previous movies, Hideous Kinky was released by Paul Cohen in the US when he was at his last company Stratosphere Entertainment.

The UK deal was negotiated by Jere Hausfater, chairman of worldwide marketing and distribution for Intermedia, with Miramax senior vice president Andrew Herwitz.

"Mick Jagger and Lorne Michaels are two of the most talented people I know," said Miramax co-chairman Harvey Weinstein in a statement. "Enigma is a celebration of British heroism and patriotism, which saved the day for the allies during World War II. Considering how great the UK has been to me personally, I could not resist this project."

Intermedia has previously sold rights to Miramax on three other films - Sliding Doors starring Gwyneth Paltrow (North American rights), Playing By Heart with Angelina Jolie and Sean Connery (North America and UK rights) and Philip Noyce's upcoming The Quiet American starring Brendan Fraser and Michael Caine (North and Latin American rights).