Distributors that traditionally peddle low-budget films will likely be paying more heed than usual to marketing their product in the wake of the success experienced in 2002 by the $5-million My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

Meanwhile, leading distrib Alliance Atlantis’ busy release sked leans towards the high-profile: the critically acclaimed Michael Caine starrer The Quiet American in February; the Vin Diesel actioner A Man Apart in April; the Al Pacino drama People I Know in May; Robert Rodriguez’s Spy Kids 3 in July; and the US$80-million Civil War epic Cold Mountain at Christmas. The biggest gift under the tree for AAC, however, is the Dec. 17 release of Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, the finale of the blockbuster trilogy. Canadian highlights include Kart Racer and Blizzard, a pair of kids films by Toronto’s Knightscove Entertainment.

AAC division Odeon Films displayed a knack for releasing critically acclaimed films in 2002. It is following up with numerous Canuck films and copros, including David Cronenberg’s Spider, The Bay of Love and Sorrows, Long Life, Happiness and Prosperity, Flower & Garnet and Max. It also has the US$35-million Jim Carrey vehicle Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. penned by Adaptation scribe Charlie Kaufman, slated for release next winter.

Mongrel Media broke $1.2 million at the box office with Deepa Mehta’s Bollywood/Hollywood, no doubt heartening the Toronto distrib’s resolve toward Canuck flicks. This year it will stagger the releases of four of the $750,000 imX Communications features in the seats 3a & 3c series. It also has 10 art house films through its output deal with Sony Pictures Classics.

But it is Seville Pictures that has Mehta’s next flick, The Republic of Love (see story, p.1). The Montreal distrib is also offering up foreign fare that has fared well on the fest circuit, including titles 10, Russian Ark and Dolls.

Montreal’s TVA Films is releasing several movies from France, including Jet Lag, a gala at TIFF 2002. It also has the Canada/France copro Les Fils de Marie. Cross-town, Christal Films will likewise unspool moderately budgeted fare from France, including the comedy Blanche. Christal and Lions Gate Films will be releasing The Book of Eve, a Canada/U.K. copro starring legend Claire Bloom. Last year, TVA entered joint ventures with both Christal and Lions Gate (which is a partner in Christal) to consolidate operating costs in Quebec and English Canada, respectively.

Montreal’s Film Tonic is banking on audiences for homegrown flicks and copros Le Marais, The Baroness and the Pig, Leaving Metropolis, The Blue Butterfly, The Favorite Game and Julie Walking Home.