Denmark's most prolific independent producer Regner Grasten has got the green light for his long cherished four-hour feature, The Gregersen Family, based on the bestselling books by Christian Kampmann (1939-88).

The Danish Film Institute awarded the film a substantial $1.37m for its $4.2m budget. Additional funding comes from broadcaster TV2, Buena Vista Scandinavia and Grasten himself.

The film will shoot for 12 weeks from Mar 29 next year, with Charlotte Sachs Bostrup directing.

Grasten has been developing the project with screenwriter Ib Kastrup for four and a half years since acquiring the rights from publisher Gyldendal for Christian Kampmann's four books written between 1973-75.

Following the lives of five children of the Gregersen family, the film paints a portrait of life in Denmark through twenty years from 1954-74, a period of great social change - not least sexually.

Earlier this year Regner Grasten set an unusual local record when he released three feature films within as many months. However, only Anja After Viktor was a real success at the box-office.

It was the third installment in a series following 1999's Love At First Hiccough and 2001's Anja & Viktor.

Charlotte Sachs Bostrup directed both Anja & Viktor and Anja After Viktor as well as Grasten's low budget musical Askepop The Movie. She also directed episodes of the EMMY-winning Danish TV-series Nikolaj & Julie.

No cast has been announced yet, but the film is set for a Dec17 2004 premiere, and will most likely be released in two parts.