Screen Media Films haspicked up North American rights from Dolores Pictures to Maria Lidon's Whore, starring Daryl Hannah, Denise Richards and Joaquimde Almeida.

Whore will get its USpremiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York in May, where it plays in thefeature competition. The company is planning a theatrical release for Septemberand video and DVD will follow through its label deal with Universal StudiosHome Video.

Based on Isabel Pisano'sSpanish bestseller, the picture features frank interviews with prostitutes fromaround the world mixed with scripted vignettes.

Screen Media Films chiefRobert Baruc and sales and marketing chief Suzanne Blech closed the deal withthe picture's producer Jose Magan.

Screen Media Films recentlyacquired North American theatrical rights to Tony Piccirillo's psychologicalthriller The 24th Day, which isalso screening at Tribeca.

The company is a whollyowned subsidiary of worldwide distributor Screen Media Ventures and plans torelease four to five pictures theatrically in the US each year.

Industry veteran RichardAbramowitz has been hired as a consultant to head up the theatrical division.