Picture This! Entertainment, Doug Witkins' boutique distribution outfit that specialises in stories presenting non-stereotypical gay, lesbian and bisexual characters, has acquired all US rights to the raunchy French sex comedy The Confusion of Genders (La Confusion Des Genres).

Written and directed by Ilan Duran Cohen, a 37-year-old graduate of New York University's film school, the film was shown last month in the World Cinema section of the Sundance Film Festival and has already been released theatrically in France through Haut et Court.

The deal, which was negotiated by Witkins and Louisa Dent of UGC International, marks Picture This' fourth acquisition for domestic theatrical release. Its other pick-ups, also foreign-language titles, have been: Kutlug Ataman's Berlin prize-winner Lola Und Bilidikid; Constantinos Giannaris' From The Edge Of The City; which was last year's Greek Oscar entry; and Come Undone (Presque Rien).

Confusion Of Genders stars Pascal Greggory as an attorney whose sexual indecisiveness leads him to be hotly pursued by a female colleague as well as her attractive teenage brother. Meanwhile, the attorney himself fantasises about a former male client - only to then become sexually involved too with that client's girlfriend.

Witkins believes that the film's "comic appeal has great crossover potential while its gay themes will guarantee a core opening audience. It really represents the best of mainstream French cinema, including a great discovery in the new young star Cyrille Thouvenin."

Picture This! Entertainment is a sister company to both 17-year-old foreign sales agent Amazing Movies and Highland Crest Pictures, Witkins' film packaging and production entity that was launched during the Cannes Film Festival 1996.

The distributor's US home entertainment division, Picture This! Home Video, was launched two years ago with The Real Ellen Story starring Ellen DeGeneres & Anne Heche. Some of its recent titles include: Sacred Silence (Pianese Nunzio Anni 14 A Maggio), and the Andres Vicente Gomez-produced Don't Tell Anyone (No Se Lo Digas A Nadie).