Danish director Peter Flinth's family adventure The Fakir has attracted an impressive cast including Germany's Moritz Bleibtreu (Taking Sides), Denmark's Sidse Babett Knudsen (Old New Borrowed And Blue) and Sweden's Fares Fares (Jalla! Jalla!).

They join the two young leads Julie Zangenberg (Catch That Girl) and Aksel Leth (Olsen Gang Jr.) who plays twins who come across a fakir (Bleibtreu) trapped inside a pen. When the fakir is accidentally freed, he helps the children find a hidden diamond.

"It is Home Alone meets the The Addams Famliy," says veteran producer Tivi Magnusson of M&M Productions about the $3.4m (DKR23m) film, which marks the feature debut of producer Mie Andreasen following her Oscar-winning short This Charming Man earlier this year.

Other well known faces in the cast include Peter Gantzler (Italian For Beginners), Ole Thestrup (The Green Butchers) and Swedish pop diva Lisa Nilsson.

Newcomer Mette Heeno penned the script based on Bjarne Reuter's best-selling novel, and The Fakir is backed by the Danish and Swedish film Institutes, broadcasters DR and SVT and the Nordic Film & TV Fund.

The film shoots from Sep 29 for nine weeks on the Danish island of Funen, where the new regional fund Film Fyn A/S has provided additional backing, and at the Danish Film Studio in Copenhagen.

The Fakir is sold by Nordisk Film International Sales. Sandrew Metronome will release it on Oct 8 2004. Director Peter Flinth already has two hit family films to his name, The Olsen Gang Jr. (2001) and Eye Of The Eagle (1997), and has also signed on M&M Productions' upcoming action thriller Last Witness, to be shot from spring 2004.

M&M Productions' recent hits include The Green Butchers (2003) and Flickering Lights (2000).