Picturehouse has acquiredall North American rights to Robert Altman's ensemble A Prairie HomeCompanion based on GarrisonKeillor's radio variety show and starring Keillor, Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline,Tommy Lee Jones, Lily Tomlin and John C Reilly.

Woody Harrelson, VirginiaMadsen, Maya Rudolph and Lindsay Lohan also star in thefictionalised account of Keillor's show chronicling the life of the imaginaryMidwestern town Lake Wobegon as the show's participants prepare for theirfateful final broadcast.

Altman's Sandcastle 5Productions produced the screen version from a screenplay by Keillor. GreeneStreetFilms and River Road Entertainment co-financed the project and served asexecutive producers. Capitol Films is handling international sales.

"With his signaturestyle, Robert Altman has crafted a hilarious and endearing film,"Picturhouse president Bob Berney said. "A Prairie Home Companion is a masterfully acted ensemble piece that capturesthe humour and heart of Garrison Keillor's radio show with great cinematicflair. Fans are in for a real treat when they see Meryl Streep and the castbelt out their favorite songs."

Keillor's radio showlaunched in 1974 and currently broadcasts on 558 US public radio stations aswell as a host of international services including BBC, RTE (Ireland), andArmed Forces Radio worldwide.

The deal was brokered on behalfof Picturehouse by New Line's senior executive vice president of worldwidebusiness and legal affairs Ben Zinkin and Picturehouse's senior vice presidentof acquisitions Sara Rose, with Cinetic and CAA on behalf of the filmmakers.

Attorney George Sheanshangplayed an instrumental role in the genesis of this film by introducing Altmanand Keillor to one another and then brought the project to GreeneStreet.

River Road Entertainment isa film financing company and its current slate includes Brokeback Mountain and the Madonna documentary I'm Going To Tell YouA Secret. The company upcomingcredits include Fur starringNicole Kidman and Robert Downey Jr, Steven Soderbergh's Che Guevara biopic Chestarring Benicio del Toro, and BrettMorgan's political documentary C7.

GreeneStreet Films isproducing and co-financing with The Weinstein Company the thriller Awake starring Jessica Alba, Hayden Christensen andTerence Howard, and is also shooting in New York Michael Ian Black's romanticcomedy The Pleasure of Your Company,which stars Jason Biggs and Isla Fisher.