Sony Pictures Classics has acquired North American distribution rights for Francis Ford Coppola's Youth Without Youth.

Coppola wrote, directed, and produced Youth Without Youth, adapting the screenplay from a novella by legendary Romanian author Mircea Eliade. Youth Without Youth marks Coppola's long-awaited return to personal filmmaking -- harkening back to earlier projects such as THE RAIN PEOPLE and THE CONVERSATION. It is his first film in a decade.

Youth Without Youth stars Tim Roth as Dominic Matei, an elderly professor whose mysterious rejuvenation heightens his intelligence and whose apparent immortality makes him a target for the Nazis in this World War II-era parable. "It is a love story wrapped in a mystery," said Coppola.

"This film was conceived and completed independently. It was made with a small team that worked intensively in Romania for a year and a half. The story revolves around the key themes that I most hope to understand better: time, consciousness, and the dream-like basis of reality," said Coppola. "I consider SONY CLASSICS the pre-eminent distributor of fine filmmaking. Following in a tradition begun at the side of Arthur Krim, through the excellence of UA and Orion Classics, Michael Barker and Tom Bernard remain for me the ultimate authority of what I consider true cinema -- ambitious and satisfying personal films that take their place alongside traditions of literature and art. I consider myself fortunate to be working with such a company and proud that Youth Without Youth will be under their care. I am lucky that my number one wish for the distributor of Youth Without Youth has come true."

Michael Barker and Tom Bernard co-presidents of Sony Pictures Classics say, " Youth Without Youth is what we call a full meal, satisfying in all departments. It is personal, sweeping, and entertaining. It is unlike anything we've seen before. It is the kind of innovative movie we've come to appreciate from new successful independent filmmakers while at the same time possessing a mastery of story, sound, and visuals that you can only get from a Francis Coppola movie. The title says it all. We are thrilled to bring such a film to the American audience. May Sony Pictures Classics bring the same fresh energy to the release of Youth Without Youth as Francis has in its creation."

The film also stars Alexandra Maria Lara, Bruno Ganz, Andre M. Hennicke, Marcel Iures, and introduces Alexandra Pirici.

Youth Without Youth was released December 14th, 2007 and stars Tim Roth, Alexandra Maria Lara, Bruno Ganz, André Hennicke, Marcel Iures, Adrian Pintea, Alexandra Pirici, Florin Piersic Jr.. The film is directed by Francis Ford Coppola.