Confirming the rise in Italy of a new generation of ambitious distribution

outfits, Sharada, a new Rome-based company, has snapped up Italian

distribution rights to two Cannes titles, including Catherine Corsini's

competition film La Repetition.

Sharada's Andrea De Liberato, who also heads Italian production outfit

Poetiche Cinematografiche, and his business partner Antonio Fusco, have also

acquired writer-director Bertrand Bonello's controversial Critics' Week film, Le Pornographe. The film, which is sold by French sales agent Mercure Distribution, stars Jean-Pierre Leaud as a 50-year-old porn director who suddenly realises he's no longer suited for the job.

In addition to La Repetition, the Emanuelle Beart vehicle which traces two

emotionally needy best friends, De Liberato has also finalised negotiations

to acquire Italian rights for La Captive, Chantal Akerman's film about a

wealthy young man who spies on his lover, which screened at Cannes last

year.

Created last December, Sharada released its first title, Arturo Ripstein's Asi Es La Vida, earlier this month. De Liberato said he aims to distribute

12 films a year, roughly half of which will be Italian. At present, the label's line-up includes Victoria Abril comedy 101 Reykjavik, Taiwanese title The Iron Ladies, and Shohei Imamura's The Eel. Upcoming local titles are Fabio Carpi's Nobel and Gianfranco Giagni's Nella Terra Di Nessuno, a thriller starring Ben Gazzara about terrorism in Italy in the early 80s.

De Liberato describes his decision to move into distribution as "inevitable." "So many films are being produced, and there are some great films that nobody here is buying. There's a gap that I want to fill," he explained.

Over the last two years, Italy has witnessed the rise of several new local distribution outlets, such as Keyfilms and Nexo, and Fandango.