Spanishsales company Sogepaq has closed North American rights on Alex de la Iglesia'sblack comedy Ferpect Crime (Crimen Ferpecto) to US independentdistributor Vitagraph, which will partner with exhibition chain LandmarkTheatre Corp for the film's release.

Theunusual partnership promises cult director de la Iglesia (Perdita Durango,Day Of The Beast) his widest US release to date, opening in at least tencities nationwide.

The sale, closed in Berlin, follows on a string of saleson the local hit to more than 30 territories including to France (La Fabriquede Films), German-speaking Europe (Arsenal), Mexico (Gussi), Greece(Audiovisual) and Korea (Media Soso).

Talks areunderway for deals to the UK and Australia. The film, which has seen more than850,000 admissions at the local box office, screened in a handful of festivalsincluding Toronto, AFI, Palm Springs and Miami.

"Landmark'sinvolvement opens the film up to a level of distribution which is not easy fora European film to reach," commented Sogepaq director of production andinternational Simon de Santiago, who finalized the deal - initiated in Toronto- with Vitagraph's David Schultz and Sogepaq head of international sales Sophiede MacMahon.

StarringGuillermo Toledo as a department store attendant forced into a relationshipwith an ugly coworker (Monica Cervera) when she witnesses a murder, FerpectCrime is a co-production of Sogepaq sister company Sogecine with de laIglesia's own Panico Films and Italy's Planet Pictures.

Sogepaq has previously sold the film to La Fabrique de Films(France), Arsenal (German-Speaking territories), Audiovisual (Greece), Ecofilms(Portugal), Paradise (CIS & Baltics), Budapest Films (Hungary), Blitz(Croatia, Slovenia & Bosnia), MCF (Serbia Montenegro), Independenta (Rumania),Noah (Israel), Alfa Films (Argentina, Chile, Uruguay & Paraguay), Gussi(Mexico), Delta Video (Peru, Bolivia & Ecuador), Cinemac (Colombia), CinesUnidos (Venezuela), Art Films & California Filmes (Brazil), FirstDistributors (HK) and Media Soso (Korea).