Hard on the heels of re-aligning to become the specialist arm of Nashville-based Gaylord Entertainment Company, France's Pandora Films has picked up Irish family drama Country, written and directed by Kevin Liddy.

The Paris-based operation will handle worldwide sales on the picture, which is set in rural Ireland in the early 70s. The film follows a young boy coping with life after the mysterious death of his mother.

The picture, produced by Jack Armstrong, won the audience award at this year's Galway Film Festival. An Irish release is set for next month.

Gaylord this month created US-based Gaylord Films and struck a co-financing and production deal with Warner Bros Pictures. Gaylord said that, as its specialist arm, Pandora would co-produce certain projects through Warner. Gaylord bought Pandora Cinema, as it was then titled, last year.

Pandora also aims to produce more US fare such as the recently completed Donnie Darko, directed by Richard Kelly and co-produced with Drew Barrymore's Flower Films.