Having tackled Hitler, Leninand Hirohito, Russian director Alexander Sokurov is to round off his four filmproject on "Men Of Power" with his own version of Faust.

The new film, loosely basedon works by Goethe and Thomas Mann, promises to be in a very different registerto its dark and brooding predecessors, Moloch, Taurus and TheSun.

"It (Faust) willbe a very colourful, elegant picture with a lot of Strauss music and a smell of chocolate, " Sokurov toldScreen International. He promised that there will be "no devils and nosmell of war - this will be a free fantasy in which I will remind audiences ofthe problems raised in Faust."

Italian co-producersDowntown Pictures are again likely to be partners on the film. However, Sokurovis yet to decide whether the Faust feature (likely to be the most expensive hehas yet made) will be his next project, or whether he will push ahead insteadwith Two Brothers And A Sister (a follow up to his earlier familydramas, Mother And Son and Father And Son.)

Following its world premierein Berlin last week, The Sun (handled internationally by London-basedThe Works) has been sold to Israel (Orlando). The film is set in 1945, at thetime Emperor Hirohito, in the captivity of the American General DouglasMacArthur, renounced his divine status.

The Works is also reportingstrong UK interest in the film, which elicited a warm response from critics.Nonetheless, The Works' Joy Wong believes The Sun suffered fromscreening so late in the festival, at a time when most of the US buyers hadalready departed Berlin.

Wong also announced detailsof some other deals closed on The Works' Berlin slate. Love And Hate hasgone to Golem for Spain, Tickets has gone to Dongsong for Korea andCineArts for Benelux and Tristram Shandy has gone to Maywin Media forCIS and Baltic states.