Argentine producer LitaStantic, backer of Lucrecia Martel's Cannes competition title The Holy Girl (La Nina Santa), ispreparing the next film from up-and-coming director Diego Lerman.

Provisionally titled Mientras Tanto (Meanwhile), the filmwill follow the overlapping stories of a cluster of characters populating lowermiddle-class Buenos Aires. Two young women provide the link between the cast ofdisparate, and largely desperate, characters.

Stantic says she is talkingto potential French and Spanish co-producers on the anticipated Euros 1m filmto begin shooting before year-end. Lerman, whose debut feature, thefemme-oriented Suddenly (Tan De Repente),was a festival favorite last year, is currently working on a third draft of thescript.

Lita Stantic Produccionesproduces about one film a year and has an impressive track record of backingpromising young talents, such as Martel(La Cienaga), Adrian Caetano (Bolivia,Oso Rojo) and Pablo Trapero (MundoGrua).

Apart from Walter Salles'' The Motorcycle Diaries, Holy Girl is theonly Latin American film in competition at Cannes this year.