New UK distributor Trinity Filmed Entertainment has madeits first acquisition, for Scott Ryan's TheMagician, in a deal struck with sales company MoviehouseEntertainment.

The film is a darkly comic mockumentary about a professional hitmanbeing documented by an amateur film-maker. Ryan wrote, directed, and plays thelead character.

Michelle Bennett (Chopper) and Nash Edgerton produced The Magician, with funding from the FilmFinance Corporation of Australia.

Trinity, founded by Mark Sandell, Robin Grbich and Cedric Behrel, plansan early 2006 release.

'TheMagician is exactly the kind of film we are interested in going after,"Trinity said in a statement. "It is a truly independent tour de force piece offilmmaking. When films emerge in thismanner their freshness and originality are a commercial proposition we want toget behind and back with our shared passion. We look forward to developingour relationship with Scott and with other emerging film makers that we partnerwith during the course of future acquisitions."