Following the success of his last film, Songs from the Second Floor -winner of the Cannes' Jury Prize three years ago - Swedish writer-director Roy Andersson has started shooting his latest feature after receiving $673,000 (SEK5m) from the Swedish Film Institute this week.

Roy Andersson told ScreenDaily.com that he expected to complete the film, which has the Swedish working title Du levande', by 2006.

"We aim for the Cannes festival in 2006. So far, 8 minutes of the film have been completed," he said. "It will be a wild film about what it is like to be a human being. The story is serious, but still funny in a different way," he added.

The Swedish director said the final budget of the film had not yet been established and that he was currently talking to Swedish public service broadcaster Sveriges Television and the Danish and Norwegian Film Institutes about backing the project.

"I usually make a short part of the film and show it for potential co-producers before negotiating about money. This time, I plan to do it at the Berlin festival in 2004 or 2005. We don't need all the money at the same time," he said.

Andersson said he would utilise the talents of actors from his previous films in the new movie. Rolf Sohlman and Ann-Sofie Kylin, who played the young lovers in A Swedish Love Story (En kärlekshistoria, 1970) are expected to star as well as Thommy Berggren and Mona Seilitz from Andersson's 1975 film Giliap.

Du levande' is being shot in Andersson's own studio, Studio 24 in Stockholm. The film will be produced by Andersson and Roy Andersson Produktion AB, which will also take care of the local distribution.