Independent UK distributor Optimum Releasing has acquired all local rights to Francois Dupeyron's The Officer's Ward (La Chambre Des Officiers) and documentary Muhammed Ali The Greatest.

Acquired from Mercure, Officer's Ward will be released theatrically in the spring, while The Greatest goes out in January.

Set during the First World War, Officer's Ward charts an army officer's recuperation following a disfiguring bomb-blast injury to his face. The Greatest was directed by William Klein and shot 1974.

Two-year old Optimum made a name for itself with Amores Perros. The distributor's upcoming slate includes The Devil's Backbone.