Canadian distributors have acquired a large number of theatrical feature films which are being showcased in wff’s Hors Concours and Cinema of Today and Tomorrow sections, as well as in a category devoted to the best films from The Critics’ Week at the ’97 Cannes Film Festival.

– From cfp (Films Cinepix): Thomas Gilou’s Le Verite si je mens (France); Port Djema (France), Eric Heumann’s dark voyage to Africa and a Silver Lion winner at the ’97 Berlin Film Festival; Kristine Peterson’s Slaves to the Underground (u.s.), a story of three twentysomethings who get their kicks out of living dangerously; Junk Mail (Norway), Pal Sletaune’s tale of an unethical mailman; Anne Goursaud’s Another 9 1/2 Weeks (u.s.), a romance comedy starring Mickey Rourke; and Jonathan Nossiter’s Sunday (cfp), a story of an unemployed middle-aged actress which took home the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.

– From Alliance Vivafilm: Nick Cassavetes’ She’s So Lovely (u.s.); Mark Waters’ House of Yes (u.s.); Bruno Barreto’s Four Days in September (Brazil), the story of a political kidnapping of the u.s. ambassador; and Career Girls (u.k.) from ’96 Palme d’Or winner Mike Leigh.

Also from Alliance: Allen Rickman’s The Winter Guest (u.k.), Peter Spirer’s Rhyme & Reason (u.s.), Robert Guedigian’s Marius et Jeanette (France), a contemporary fairy tale set in the exotic port of Marseilles, and Philippe Harel’s story of adultery, jealousy, tears and delight, Le femme defendu/The Forbidden Woman (France).

– From Malofilm Distribution: Manuel Poirier’s Western (France), the Special Jury prize winner at Cannes ’97 chronicling the odyssey of two overwhelmed bums; Neil Labute’s In the Company of Men (u.s.), a dark tale of corporate creepism and two men’s affairs with a naive deaf girl; Scott Reynolds’ story of the relationship between a killer and a young psychologist, The Ugly (New Zealand); and the Matthew Harrison comedy Kicked in the Head starring Kevin Corrigan and Linda Fiorentino.

– From Coscient Astral Distribution, two French films: director Gilles Mimouni’s first feature L’Appartement, described as a sentimental thriller or one man’s search for the ideal woman, and Philippe Harel’s Les Randonneurs, a movie about the personal complications which arise when five friends set out on a hike across the Island of Corsica.

Also from Coscient Astral, Ma Vie en rose, a story about poor little Lodovic who thinks he’s a girl; and Clandestins, the Quebec/ Swiss coproduction codirected by Denis Chouinard and Nicolas Wadimoff. Clandestins has been selected as the closing night film at the 50th Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland.

– From Prima Film: Lucas Belvaux’s modern vaudevillian tale Pour rire! (France) and Francois Velle’s Commes des Rois (France), the story of two Polish brothers whose dreams of cigars and champagne do not come true after they escape to the West.

Also from Prima: Bernie Bonvoisin’s 1997 Prix Jean Vigo winner Les Demons de Jesus (France), Bruno Dumont’s story of a simple country boy, La Vie de Jesus (France), and Anne-Marie Mieville’s three-part feature Nous sommes tous encore ici (France/ Switzerland) featuring Aurore Clement, Bernadette Lafont and legendary French filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard.