USA Films has acquired domestic distribution rights to Francois Ozon's Eight Women - the all-star French musical murder mystery produced by Marc Missonier and Olivier Delbosc of Fidelite Productions. The deal was made with French sales agent Celluloid Dreams.

Eight Women features eight French screen actresses - including the legendary Catherine Deneuve, Fanny Ardant, Danielle Darrieux and Isabelle Huppert, new goddesses Emanuelle Beart, Virginie Ledoyen and Firmine Richard (Romuald Et Juliette) and rising star Ludivine Sagnier, who starred in Ozon's Water Drops On Burning Rocks.

Taking place over the course of one evening in a villa, the film is the story of the eight women in the life of a wealthy patriarch who all fall under suspicion when he is found dead under suspicious circumstances.

USA Films senior vice president of acquisitions and co-productions Steven Raphael brought the project into the company, and USA Films executive vice president, business affairs,Avy Eschenasy negotiated the deal on behalf of USA. Celluloid Dreams was represented by Hengameh Panahi.

Ozon has been remarkably prolific since his breakthrough film Sitcom in 1998, directing four films in three years Water Drops On Burning Rocks (1999), Les Amants Criminels (1999), Under The Sand (2000) and now Eight Women. Missonier and Delbosc have produced all of Ozon's features to date, and Celluloid Dreams has sold them all. Under The Sand has been the most successful to date with an impressive US take of $1.4m through Winstar Cinema.

USA's 2002 slate includes Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding, Neil Labute's Possession, Eric Shaeffer's Never Again, Gary Hardwick's Deliver Us From Eva and Todd Haynes' Far From Heaven.