Fortissimo Film Sales has picked up a trio of new pictures including Jan Dara, by Nonzee Nimibutr, the Thai director behind last year's pan-Asian blockbuster Nang Nak.

His follow-up Jan Dara is a saga of sex, guilt and retribution set in 1930s Thailand which sees a young man return to a home broken by the sexual tyranny of his father. It is based on one of Thailand's most controversial best selling and erotic novels. Appropriately, the film stars Christy Chung, recently voted the sexiest woman in Asia by FHM magazine.

The film is produced by Applause Pictures, the ambitious new company set up by Peter Chan Ho-sun, director of He's A Woman, She's A Man, with Allan Fung.

At Rotterdam's recent Cinemart market Fortissimo made two pick-ups: Hush by Japanese director Hashiguich Ryosuke, who previously delivered hit Grain Of Sands. The film is a modern drama about the sacrifices couples have to make in order to have children and is targeted at 20-30 year old audiences. An initial sale has been struck with Cinemien for Benelux.

As a result of Cinemart, Fortissimo is also handling The Chateau, a story of two estranged brothers who compete over love and money when they inherit a chateau in France. The film was directed by Jesse Peretz (First Love, Last Rites) and stars Paul Rudd, Sylvie Testud and was produced by New York's Forensic Films. The film has been pre-sold to Pretty Pictures for France, Academy for Italy and Cinemien for Benelux.

Fortissimo is now actively selling on its Cannes hopeful Tears Of The Black Tiger (aka Fa Ta Lai Jun) which it picked up on the eve of last autumn's MIFED film market in Milan. The film, an epic story of ill-fated lovers, is from the same production house that also delivered hit Bangkok Dangerous and is produced by Nimibutr. Nikkatsu has bought the film for Japan and NFN for The Netherlands.

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