Par Classics, Nat Geo take Arctic expedition

Pair put 'White' docu rights on ice

By ALISON JAMES

The Arctic's polar bears are headed where ``Penguins'' have gone before as Par and National Geo will release docu 'The White Planet' in the U.S.

After Warner Independent's success with Antarctica-set "The March of the Penguins," soon-to-be-renamed Paramount Classics and National Geographic are hoping cinemagoers will be equally taken with the Arctic.

They have jointly pre-bought U.S. rights to the E10 million ($12 million) French docu "The White Planet," shot at the North Pole over three years. In post-production, the film recounts the changing seasons and their impact on the region's flora and fauna.

Thierry Ragobert and Thierry Piantanida directed the pic, which was produced by Gallic factual specialist Gedeon and co-produced by Bac Films. It is handled internationally by 18-month-old sales outfit Bac Films Intl., which has pre-sold it to 26 territories. 

"The public has a thirst for knowledge about these little-known parts of the globe, and there was a lot of interest from a number of U.S. distributors," Bac Intl.'s Silvere Moreau said Tuesday. 

Jean Labadie's Bac, now majority owned by Gallic TV production and distribution group Millimages, was one of the first distributors to recognize the bigscreen potential of docus, notching up boffo biz in France with "Microcosmos" and "Winged Migration."

Company will release "Planet" on 400-500 screens in France on March 22.

Gallic version contains a soundtrack by Bruno Coulais, whose movie music credits include "Les choristes" and "Winged Migration"; narration is by French Arctic explorer Jean-Louis Etienne.