Four new Danish films have been green-lighted after receiving funding from the Danish Film Institute (DFI).

Among them are the highly anticipated new film from Annette K. Olesen (Minor Mishaps) as well as new films from three feature debutantes Malene Vilstrup, Jannik Johansen and Christoffer Boe.

Olesen (pictured), who received the Blue Angel Award in Berlin for her popular Minor Mishaps this year, will be trying her hand at the Dogme-rules style of filmmaking for her latest project.

Forbrydelser (Crimes) will be produced by veteran Ib Tardini (Italian For Beginners, Minor Mishaps) for Zentropa on a $1.4m (DKR10.5m) budget of which $710,800 (DKR5.4m) comes from the Danish Film Institute.

Nothing has been revealed about the story, but like Minor Mishaps it will be written by the prolific Kim Fupz Aakeson and developed using the same Mike Leigh-inspired process which they used for their last collaboration. Other backers include national broadcaster DR and distributor Nordisk Film.

Another project from Zentropa is the children's film Spoegelseshesten (The Ghost Horse) from newcomer Malene Vilstrup, best known for her acclaimed animated short A Dog Life (1996). The story, which sees two lonely girls finding each other and faith in the future through their common love of a horse, is written by Vilstrup and veteran Hans Hansen, who also produces the film for Zentropa. Budget is set at $1.4m (DKR10.6m) with some $789,770 (DKR6m) coming from the DFI.

Though only graduating from the National Film School last year, there are high expectations for Christoffer Boe's feature debut: Reconstruction, which will be produced under Nordisk Film's so-called Director's Cut low-budget line-up. Boe wrote the surreal love story with the multiple award-winning Mogens Rukov (co-writer of films like Festen, Kira's Reason and It's All About Love). Newcomer Tine Pfeiffer produces the $1.3m (DKR9.5m) project with $658,000 (DKR5m) from DFI and additional backing from broadcasters TV2/Denmark and Sweden's SVT. Acclaimed actress Maria Bonnevie (I Am Dina) will star.

Jannik Johansen's first feature, after working as technical director on such popular films as Shake It All About and Flickering Lights, is inspired by the theft of a Rembrandt painting from a Danish museum in 1999. He has co-written the script with Anders Thomas Jensen (Open Hearts, Wilbur Wants To Kill Himself).

The crime-comedy tells of a problematic father-son relationship and what happens when they suddenly have a $13.2m (DKR100m) Rembrandt in their possession. Thomas Gammeltoft (Shake It All About) will handle the $2.3m (DKR17.8m) project though his outfit Fine & Mellow Productions with UK's The Works as co-producers. $658,000 (DKR5m) comes from the DFI through their 60/40 agreement and additional funding from Egmont and broadcaster DR-TV.

All four films are expected to be released in the fall of 2003.

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