Nordic major Svensk Filmindustrie's Danish branch SF-Film is to launch a new division in a bid to take a greater share of the booming local market.

"We will set up a branch focusing exclusively on the marketing and distribution of Danish films," said Michael Fleischer, who has been the managing director of SF in Denmark for over two years.

"We plan to release 4-6 films a year, through our deals with FilmPeople and Buttenschoen & Budde, as well as upcoming films from Cosmo Film, Steen Herdel and Nina Crone. The gross from local films is much higher but so is the risk."

Danish films hit the box-office jackpot at local cinemas last year, with a 20-year high of 3.6 million admissions and a 30% market share up 75% from 2000 (see related story link, below). The outfit should be up and running from this summer, and SF has hired veteran Susanne Teilmann to analyse the market and find out what the local producers want.

Teilmann commented: "We have to make sure we provide the service they are looking for to get the most out of our experience."