Salesagent NZ Film has sold US rights to psychological drama In My Father's Den to Tartan Films, which is looking to release thefilm theatrically in May 2006.

Itseems a little late for the UK/New Zealand co-production to be making such asale given that it was one of the darlings of the international festivalcircuit in 2004. But the film was caught up in the demise of Element X, whichoriginally had sales rights outside of the Asia Pacific region. It took sometime for NZ Film, the distribution arm of the New Zealand Film Commission(NZFC), to wrest all rights back.

InMy Father's Den won theInternational Film Critics' Prize at the 2004 Toronto Film Festival, theMercedes Benz Youth Jury Prize at the 2004 San Sebastian Film Festival and 11prizes at the 2005 NZ Screen Awards, including best director and best picture.Writer/director Brad McGann also took home the Special Jury Prize for best newdirector at the 2005 Seattle Film Festival.

McGannadapted the film from a novel by highly regarded New Zealand author MauriceGee. The focus of the story is a disillusioned war journalist, played by Britactor Matthew MacFadyen, who returns to NZ to face his past. It also starslocal newcomer Emily Barclay and Australia's Miranda Otto and was produced byTrevor Haysom of T.H.E Film in NZ and Dixie Linder of Little Bird in the UK.

Theother financiers besides the NZFC were NZ On Air, Visionview and the UK FilmCouncil.

Thesale was negotiated by NZ Film's Kathleen Drumm and Tartan Films CEO M JPeckos. Tartan Film's upcoming US films include Marebito, Sympathy For Lady Vengeance, Battle In Heaven and The Death Of Mr Lazarescu.