BBC's 'Ballet Shoes' takes U.S. spin

Film reunites three 'Harry Potter' thesps

By SAM THIELMAN

Screenvision continues to expand into distribution territory with 'Ballet Shoes.'

The BBC's TV adaptation of Noel Streatfeild's "Ballet Shoes" will preem on the bigscreen in the U.S., courtesy of Screenvision.

Decision to pick up "Ballet Shoes" is the latest movement in Screenvision's continued expansion into distrib territory. The company has been trying to barter the network of theaters that subscribe to its flagship asset -- a half-hour pre-movie entertainment show -- into a viable channel for theatrical movie distribution. Previous experiments included the baseball-at-the-Zeigfeld program "Mets at the Movies," the La Scala opera series and sports doc "UltraMarathon Man."

"Ballet Shoes" reunites "Harry Potter" thesps Emma Watson, Gemma Jones and Richard Griffiths. Screenvision and partner Koch Vision will start the movie's limited release Aug. 26.

Subtitled "A Story of Three Children on the Stage," the 1936 children's novel follows three girls: Pauline, Petrova and Posy Fossil, each of whom is discovered as a baby by their guardian, an absent-minded geologist named Matthew Brown.For partner Koch Vision, the benefit of the "Ballet Shoes" push is largely the publicity provided. Koch prexy Michael Rosenberg said that the release plays "a key role in creating awareness for the property prior to its release on DVD."