How's this for an odd film pedigree: a remake of a Hong Kong action film, shot in Russian with largely Russian backing with a Swedish director. This is what you've got with Newsmakers.

A remake of Johnnie To's Breaking News with the action transplanted to Russia - reportedly the first ever Russian remake of a Hong Kong film - the film is directed by young Swede Anders Banke, well known is these parts as the director of Swedish vampire film Frostbiten. Banke, it turns out, attended film school in Moscow and is totally Russian fluent, which makes sense of his directing a Russian language film, and the brilliant, period set opening to Frostbiten should put to rest any question as to whether he's got the technical skills needed to tackle To. He very clearly does.

What Banke also has is a very strong cast. A quick skim over his actors' filmographies reads like a what's what of current notable Russian - and international - film. Maksim Konolov: Bimmer, A Woman In Berlin. Andrei Mezlikin: Inhabited Island, Moscow Mission, Bimmer. Yevgeni Tsyganov: The Mermaid, Piter FM, Dreaming of Space. Sergei Garmash: Inhabited Island, Katyn, 12.

So ... solid technical director, solid source matieral, solid cast. We've got the very first stills at the link below.