The reincarnated Kinowelt will be back in business as a theatrical distributor from July 1 under the management of Michael Koelmel and Bertil le Claire.

Kinowelt's distribution activities will concentrate in future on 10-12 select titles each year and the distribution arm is set to begin in August with the animation feature Asterix In Amerika in a newly re-dubbed version by alternative German comics Erkan and Stefan.

This will be followed around Halloween by the horror thriller Jeepers Creepers 2 and then in the autumn/winter months by Swiss director Christoph Schaub's melodrama Stille Liebe and Werner Herzog's latest documentary Wheel Of Time set in Tibet.

2004 will begin in January with the nature documentary Deep Blue and a February release for Gabriele Salvatores' Io No Ho Paura, which screened in the Official Competition of this year's Berlinale.

In addition, Kinowelt will take back the handling of booking for films from its back catalogue from Solo Film.