Sony Pictures Classics has acquiredNorth American rights to Andrucha Waddington's House Of Sand fromBrazil's Conspiracao Filmes after its premiere at the Toronto film festival.

House Of Sand stars leading Brazilian actressesFernanda Montenegro (Central Station) and Palme D'Or winner andMontenegro's daughter, Fernanda Torres (Parle-Moi D'Amour).

It tells thestory of three generations of women, played by Montenegro and Torres, whoselives are destined to be lived out in the isolated and destitute northernBrazilian desert town of Maranhao.

The film is produced by Leonardo Monteiro de Barros, PedroGuimaraes, Pedro Buarque de Hollanda, and Andrucha Waddington. It is co-produced by Lucy and LuizCarolos Barreto and Walter Salles.

The film is a co-production with Conspiracao Filmes,Columbia TriStar Filmes do Brasil and Globo Filmes.

The script for The House Of Sand received theSundance/NHK International Filmmakers Award in 2002.

"We are very happy to once again be a part of the SonyPictures Classics family," said Waddington. "They distributed my last film, Me,You, Them, and I look forward to another successful collaboration."

In a joint statement co-Presidents Michael Barker and TomBernard and SVP of production and acquisitions Dylan Leiner of Sony PicturesClassics said, "We are pleased to have the opportunity to work together againwith both Fernanda Montenegro and Andrucha Waddington. Both are great talents and combined with the presence of Fernanda Torres,we feel this is a winning combination."

The acquisition deal was brokered by Leonardo Monteiro deBarros and Andrucha Waddington for Conspiração Films and Dylan Leiner, SVP ofProduction and Acquisitions, and co-president Michael Barker for Sony PicturesClassics. Terms of the deal havenot been disclosed, and a release date has yet to be set.