Sydney- andLA-based Arclight Films has acquired international rights to ensemble crimedrama Crash featuringHeath Ledger, Brendan Fraser, Eva Mendes, DonCheadle, Forest Whitaker and Thandie Newton.

The film isbeing produced by Cathy Schulman and Bob Yari's Bull's Eye Entertainment andfinanced by Yari's Stratus Film Company. Shooting is set to start on Dec 9 onthe picture which is written and will be directed by Paul Haggis, who createdhit TV series including Walker Texas Ranger, Due South, EZ Streets and Family Law.

The film, set inLos Angeles, begins with the discovery of a man's brutally murdered body on theside of the road and tracks the previous 24 hours in the lives of eight peopleconnected with the killing.

A deal, similarto the one struck for the upcoming Monster, is already in place with Blockbuster/DEJ for US video andTV rights and theatrical P&A costs, while producers are in discussions withtheatrical distributors to handle the theatrical release.

Crash joins astar-studded slate at MIFED for Arclight which is also representing TheMerchant Of Venice withAl Pacino, The Matadorwith Pierce Brosnan also financed by Stratus Film Company and Coming Out produced by and starring CatherineZeta-Jones.

Gary Hamilton,Nicholas Chartier and Lina Marrone will be in Milan for the company.

A partnership ofSchulman, Yari and Tom Nunan, Bull's Eye is one of a portfolio of fourcompanies backed by Yari (the others are Bob Yari Productions, Stratus and ElCamino Pictures).

Bull's Eye filmscurrently in post-production include Thumbsucker with Keanu Reeves, Vince Vaughn, TildaSwinton and Vincent D'Onofrio and Employee Of The Month with Matt Dillon and Steve Zahn. Both are represented at MIFED by David Glasser's new company Syndicate Film International.