Dustin Smith has been promoted to director of acquisitions at Roadside Attractions and will work closely with co-presidents Howard Cohen and Eric d'Arbeloff in identifying new projects.

Smith, who was previously involved in the acquisition of The Road To Guantanamo and The Puffy Chair, among others, will travel to Sundance later this month with the aim of bulking up Roadside's 2007 slate.

'Dusty's proven ability to identify quality projects has been a driving force in the company's success, and makes him a natural choice to spearhead our acquisitions efforts,' Cohen said.

Prior to joining Roadside Attractions Smith served as a film critic at the Dayton Daily News and programmed an independent arthouse theatre.

Roadside Attractions' upcoming releases include the period drama Amazing Grace about the life story of British abolitionist William Wilberforce.