The best film at this year's Danish Bodil prizes may have been Pernille Fischer Christensen's A Soap, but in many ways the star of the night was a film financing programme.

New Danish Talent was launched by the Danish Film Institute two years ago to supportDanish debut directors or younger directors.

Christensen was just one of those supported by the scheme forA Soap, having previouslyfailed to finance scripts. It was named best film at the Bodil awards withstarTrine Dyrholm collecting the statuette for best actress.

Another New Danish Talent film surprised the crowd at the Bodil award show. Nicolas Bro won the prize of best leading actor for his tour de force in Christoffer Boe's egocentric and daring Off Screen.

The film was seen by only a few thousand Danes but has travelled widely to international film festivals.

Susanne Bier, nominated in several categories with After the Wedding and also runner-up in the race of an Oscar for Best Foreign Film, went home empty handed from both events.

Stine Fischer Christensen (younger sister of A Soap's director Pernille Fischer Christensen) won the best supporting actress Award for Best supporting actress for the heavily-nominated After the Wedding.

Another local box-office favourite We Shall Overcome by Niels Arden Oplev seen by more than 400.000 Danes won the prize of best supporting role via veteran Bent Mejding.

The Danish critics also gave prizes to Best American Film and Best Non American film. The prizes went to Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu's Babel and Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's The Lives Of Others.