Rome-based producer-distributor Lantia has formed a financial and strategic alliance with Italian multimedia group Elle U Multimedia (EUM) that will enable it to beef up theatrical acquisitions and secure a domestic video outlet for its eclectic fare.

The two companies will use their combined buying power to purchase films, which they will jointly release, sharing out distribution and p&a costs. Joint acquisitions will then be handled by EUM's video label.

The first two films to be released under the new partnership will be much-talked-about French title Baise-moi, due out in Italy later this month, and George Romero's horror movie Bruiser, which is to have its world premiere at the Turin Film Festival (November 17 - 25). Other titles on Lantia's distribution slate include Patrice Jolivet's Ma Petite Enterprise, MG Pereira's OBB Key and S. Tsukamoto's Gemini.