Frank Mannion's UK-based Swipe Films will be handling international sales at Cannes on the Russian film Vanechka, which will have its international premiere in the Cannes market on May 17.

The film is set during 1998, against the backdrop of Russia in an economic crisis and centres on an aspiring actress who comes to Moscow to pursue her dream. Her life takes an unexpected and dramatic turn when her only friends in Moscow die in a car accident and leave their infant son orphaned in her arms.

'This story is about the Russian soul - vulnerable but strong, capable of compassion and always living in hope. We are looking forward to seeing the reaction of the world's independent distributors to the film at Cannes,' producer Nadezhda Kopytina said in a statement.

'Vanechka encapsulates the confident new contemporary style of popular Russian cinema,' Frank Mannion of Swipe Films said. 'I am confident that it is a story that will resonate with international distributors and audiences alike.'

The film was developed, produced and financed by the Global Action Group and co-produced by the Mikhail Kalatozov Foundation. It is directed by Yelena Nikolayeva.

Newcomer Elena Velikanova leads the cast, which includes Andrei Panin, Alisa Grebenshchikova, Carolina Aleknayte and Armen Djigarkhanyan.
Vanechka has received numerous festival awards in Russia. It was released theatrically across Russia and the Ukraine in November 2007 and stayed in the top 10 at the box office for six weeks.