Fortissimo Film Sales hasracked up a string of pre-sales on Tsui Hark's forthcoming martial arts epic SevenSwords.

The film, which is now inproduction, has been sold to Village Roadshow for Australia, Pathe/DES forFrance, Sandrew Metronome for Scandinavia, Monopol Pathe for Switzerland,A-Film for Benelux, EEPA for East Europe, Lusomundo for Portugal and Pro-optikifor Greece. An earlier deal, concluded during the AFM, saw the film sold toMedusa for Italy.

"The strength of interest in Seven Swords proves thatpeople believe in Tsui Hark, they loved the script and are ready for anothermartial arts epic from Asia," said Fortissimo co-chief Wouter Barendrecht. "Weare also thrilled to be working with such first class distributors in everycase."

The $18m film is produced byNansun Shi's Hong Kong-based Film Workshop and Mandarin Films. It is structuredas a Hong-Kong-Chinese co-production and involves Chinese private sector equityand a Korean media editor.

It stars Donnie Yen (Hero,Shanghai Knights, Blade II), Asian superstar Leon Lai (Fallen Angels),Charlie Young (New Police Story, Fallen Angels) and also boastsLau Kar Leung (Drunken Monkey, Drunken Master II & III) asaction director.

Fortissimo has rights outside Japan and Asia.