Miramax Films has signed an exclusive all-rights deal with Canadian distributor Maple Pictures that will see the Toronto-based company handling Miramax titles across the country.

A new partnership was imminent once Miramax ended its 14-year relationship with Alliance Films and its antecedents in April of this year.

Former Alliance executive Jim Sherry, who previously worked at Miramax, and had been consulting with Maple for the past year, was instrumental in landing the deal.

Last month, he was named co-president of Maple, a move that signaled the announcement of the output deal. Maple has handled two Miramax titles previous to the pact, Brideshead Revisited and Mike Leigh's Happy Go Lucky.

In a statement, Miramax president Daniel Battsek said, 'We are delighted to select Maple as our new Canadian distributor. We have been deeply impressed with their skill in handling films in Canada, and we are proud to partner with one of the fastest-growing, most diversified and savviest distributors in Canada to maximize our own growth.'

Said Sherry, 'By securing this relationship with Miramax, Maple has aligned itself with one of the most respected companies in the entertainment industry. We could not be happier to enter into this partnership with a team of highly regarded executives who have a unique vision and a strong dedication to excellence.'

Upcoming Miramax titles include John Patrick Shanley's Doubt, starring Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman, and The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas, written and directed by Mark Herman.

Maple also has output deals with Gold Circle Films and Lionsgate.

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