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TOKYO -- Content fund manager Japan Digital Contents Trust is launching a Y1 billion ($8.7 million) fund to supply coin for the domestic acquisitions of foreign pics, the company announced Thursday.

The Cinema Trust -- Buyers Fund Nunber One (literal translation) will launch on Sept. 10.

Distrib Klockworx, JDC's strategic partner, will use fund coin to acquire foreign pics and underwrite P&A expenses. Profits from theatrical release, DVD, TV and other revenue streams will be paid to fund investors over a four-year period.

A distrib of indie pics from around the world, Klockworx has handled "The Blair Witch Project" and "Shaolin Soccer," as well as toons "Le Roi et l'oiseau," "The Triplets of Belleville" and "Shin ango onshi."

The company also distribs domestic pics, including Kenji Uchida's hit comedy "A Stranger of Mine" and Katsuhito Ishii's "The Taste of Tea."

�JDC Trust has created funds for various Japanese content, including toons, games and pics, but Cinema Trust is its first for foreign pic acquisition.

The fund aims to limit risk by investing only in completed pics by producers with established track records.