Miramax Films has paid $1m for rights in the US, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa to Daniele Thompson's French romantic comedy Jet Lag which teams Juliette Binoche and Jean Reno and which world premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival over the weekend. As of yesterday (Sunday), it was the only major acquisition deal of the festival so far. StudioCanal chief Pierre Weisbein on Saturday night clinched the deal with Miramax on Saturday night; Fine Line Features and Focus Features were among several other domestic distributors which made bids on it.

Produced by Alain Sarde, the film is the story of a woman escaping from an abusive relationship to Acapulco and a millionaire chef on his way to a funeral in Munich who come together at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris during an air traffic controllers' strike in France. Initially hostile, their relationship turns to love. Sergi Lopez makes a small appearance as Binoche's boyfriend.

Co-produced by Les Films Alain Sarde, TF1 Films Production and Pathe Ltd, Jet Lag is Thompson's second film as a director after La Buche which she also co-wrote with her son Christopher Thompson. Thompson has scripted many hit French movies including Cousin, Cousine (1975) and La Reine Margot (1993).

Jet Lag is one of 22 French movies screening at Toronto. Also world premiering here are Laurent Bouhnik's 24 Heures De La Vie D'Une Femme, Benoit Jacquot's Adolphe with Isabelle Adjani, Yves Angelo's Sur Le Bout Des Doigts and Philippe Grandrieux's La Vie Nouvelle.