Almost a year after its showing at the Perspective Canada section of the Toronto International Film Festival, Deepa Mehta’s feature film Fire is coming back to the screen.

While a more typical tack might have been to release the film closer to the hype generated last September, Canadian distributor Malofilm did not want to make a move until an American distributor was on board.

Now, releasing the film in the u.s. is New York’s Zeitgeist Films, and as they advertise and promote on their side of the border alongside Malofilm’s efforts in Canada, the two will feed off each other, spreading the word more effectively.

After the Toronto release on Aug. 22, the film will open in other larger Canadian cities, starting with Vancouver and Calgary on Sept. 5. Depending on its success, it will then gradually spread out to hit smaller centers.

The controversial film, written and directed by Mehta and shot in India, is a story of two sisters-in-law living in modern New Delhi who ‘turn to each other for the passion that is missing in their lives.’ It was very well received at tiff last fall, winning the Air Canada People’s Choice Award.

Malofilm will be targeting Fire to an audience of 18- to 35-year-olds with an interest in specialized films and to the East Indian community. Since the film is a love story, the hope is that it will become a ‘date’ film.

In addition to ads in all the major newspapers, radio stations, and in free press publications which cater to an audience interested in non-mainstream movies, East Indian magazines and newspapers will be part of the media buy.

After Malofilm’s success with the release of Mira Nair’s film Kama Sutra in March, which attracted the type of audience they are expecting for Fire, the distributor is optimistic about the release.

Although the original release entails one print, the possibility d’es exist of running it on a second Toronto screen.