Picture This!has picked up US rights to Amnon Buchbinder's Canadian coming-of-age story WholeNew Thing and plans anautumn 2006 release.

Whole New Thingplayed at Toronto and will screen in the New Voices/New Visions strand at thePalm Springs International Film Festival.

The story centres on a precocious teenager raised by hippies in rural NovaScotia who develops a crush on his gay high school teacher. Aaron Webber and DanielMacIvor star.

Kelly Bray and Camelia Freiberg produced Buchbinder's follow-up to hisdirectorial debut Fishing Trip, which won a Genie Award in 1999. Bray and Picture This!president Douglas Witkins negotiated the deal.

"We are delighted that Whole New Thing has found a US distributor that is asdaring and self-assured as the film itself," Freiberg said.

"I am confident that Doug Witkins and his team will find an audience for thischarming film even beyond the one that has already embraced it sowholeheartedly."