Alexander Hahn's Midsummer Madness (Janu Nakts) starts principal photography this weekend in Riga, Latvia.

The comedy stars Dominique Pinon, Maria de Medeiros, Tobias Moretti, Orlando Wells, Birgit Minichmayr, Detlev Buck, Roland Düringer, and Gundars Abolins.

Austria's Fischer Film, the UK's Steve Walsh Productions, and Latvia's Kaupo Filma are producing.

EastWest Filmdistribution is handling the international sales.

The $3.25m English-language project will shoot in Latvia for seven weeks, and then move to the UK for post-production. Delivery is expected in December 2006.

Hahn is directing from a screenplay he co-wrote with Alexander Mahler and Norman Hudis.

The comedy is about foreign visitors in Latvia during the country's celebration for the shortest night of the year.

Midsummer Madness has backing from the MEDIA Programme, Austrian Film Institute, Austrian Broadcasting Corporation, Vienna Film Fund, State of Upper Austria, National Film Centre of Latvia, Ingenious Media, and Eurimages.

"When I first saw Alexander's showreel I knew immediately that he could make this wonderful, funny script come to life," said UK-based producer Steve Walsh. "I'm delighted that we have got together a tremendous cast for a movie which we are convinced will travel across frontiers and find a wide audience all over the world."