Celluloid Dreams has acquired worldwide rights to Gilles Marchand's Black Heaven . This is the director's second feature following Who Killed Bambi' , a 2003 Cannes official selection which Celluloid also handled.

Black Heaven is a coming-of-age story about a teenager seduced by the unlimited possibilities of the dark, virtual world of online gaming. The film was co-written by Marchand and Dominik Moll who have previously collaborated on Moll's Harry He's Here To Help and Lemming . It is produced by France's Haut et Court and co-produced by Belgium's Versus Production.

The $7.7m (Euros 5m) thriller stars Melvil Poupaud, Gregoire Leprince-Ringuet and Louise Bourgoin. Shooting begins in autumn this year with the film set to be ready for Cannes 2009.

Regarding the project, Marchand said, 'I have the idea of a film full of contrasts, taking place in the bright light of the South of France, and the cold and sleek virtual world of a computer game. I want a film in which animated sequences follow scenes shot in real time and in which flesh and blood actors vanish occasionally behind their avatars.'

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