Strand Releasing hasannounced one of the first domestic deals from the Berlin Film Festival lastweek, acquiring US rights to Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Martineau's comedy MariscosBeach (Crustaces Et Coquillages).

The deal was closed byStrand's co-presidents Marcus Hu and Jon Gerrans with sales agent Sylvain Moreau of Bac Films International.

Mariscos Beach played in Panorama at the Berlin festival. Set in a familybeach house one summer, it stars Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Gilbert Melki andJean-Marc Barr in a madcap story of sexual confusion and secrets.

The film was also sold to Frenetic for Switzerland, Cineart for Belgium, Dujass for Italy, Picadillo for the UK, Prokino for Germany and Seville for Canada.

Strandhandled domestic distribution of Ducastel and Martineau's first film JeanneAnd The Perfect Guy in 1998 andplans to release this, their fourth, in the autumn. "We'rethrilled to be working on Ducastel and Martineau's film; it has a huge amountof warmth and humor that will translate commercially," said Hu and Gerrans.

Thefilm joins a 2005 release slate which also includes Jun Ichikawa's acclaimedJapanese drama Tony Takitani and ApichatpongWeerasethakul's Thai hit Tropical Malady.