Aki Kaurismaki is Russia-bound. The Finnish director's work is rarely seen in the country, but thanks to Raisa Fomina' sales and distribution outfits Intercinema, Russian audiences will soon be able to lap up almost every movie Kaurismaki has ever made.

First, Intercinema released A Man Without A Past and Lights In The Dusk theatrically. Now, it has acquired Kaurismaki back catalogue from Match Factory.

'I decided I had to introduce the whole library of this fantastic director,' Intercinema's Raisa Fomina explains. The plan now is release the Finnish director's entire oeuvre on DVD. 'Wee bought short films, documentaries - everything.'

On the sales side, Fomina reports enormous interest in The Banishment, the eagerly awaited feature from Andrey Zvyaginstev (whose The Return won The Golden Lion and a host of other international awards.) The Banishment is in post-production and is being strongly tipped for an official berth in a major summer festival.

In advance of the EFM, Fomina closed a handful of pre-sales on the title, including Greece and The Balkans (Prooptiki), Israel (United Kings) and one or two other smaller territories. Her strategy, though, is to keep the major territories open until the film's festival debut.

Here at the EFM, Fomina has been doing a roaring trade on Pavel Longuine's The Island. She has now closed a US deal on the film with Film Movement. This follows on from the French deal signed with Rezo earlier in the week.

Also new on Intercinema's slate is Marina Mara's Cruelty, starring Renata Litvinova, and Georgian anti-war film, The Russian Triangle.

With her buyer's hate on, Fomina has acquired Russian rights to Jia Zhang-Ke's Golden Lion winner, Still Life.

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