Italian distributor Mikado Film has picked up Winfried Bonengel's controversial Neo-Nazi drama Fuehrer Ex which screened in Official Competition in Venice last week and received its North American premiere at the Toronto Film Festival yesterday.

In addition, the film's sales agent - Bavaria Film International - will handle international distribution for the new feature by German director Hans-Christian Schmid, Lichter, five interconnected stories with a cast including Herbert Knaup (Anatomie 2), August Diehl (Tattoo) and Ivan Schwedov (England!), which begins shooting on location at the German-Polish border in Frankfurt/Oder and Slubice from September 13.

Bavaria Film International is also handling Fatih Akin's latest film Solino, with Moritz Bleibtreu, which has its world premiere as the opening film of this year's Filmfest Hamburg on September 23.