Wellspring Media has acquired US rights to the dark French comedy Carnage which played in Directors Fortnight at Cannes this year. The film is the feature directorial debut of Delphine Gleize and stars Chiara Mastroianni and Angela Maline in the story of the aftermath of a tragic bullfight.

Gleize is renowned for her short films including Sale Battars which won the Cesar for best short in 2000.

The deal to buy the film was made between Krysanne Katsoolis, the senior vice president of acquisitions at Wellspring, her associate Marie Therese Guirgis and Gael Nouaille of Wild Bunch, the Paris-based sales agent of the film. Wellspring plans to release it in Nov 2002.

Wellspring's current release is The Notorious C.H.O., a documentary performance film starring Margaret Cho. The film has so far grossed $109,092 after two weeks on release in just eight screens.