IFC Films has picked up USrights to Lars von Trier's Cannes competition entry Manderlay and Susanne Bier's After The Wedding, which is currently shooting in India and Denmark.

Negotiations for both titlesfrom the Danish duo were concluded with Trust Film Sales at Cannes and IFC hasscheduled 2005 releases.

Manderlay, which had a lacklustre opening in Denmark over theweekend, is the second instalment in the director's controversial USA Land OfOpportunities series.

Bryce Dallas Howard reprisesthe role played by Nicole Kidman in Dogville, and the story picks up as she leaves that town andencounters a group of Alabama plantation slaves who should have beenemancipated 70 years earlier. Willem Dafoe, Chloe Sevigny, Danny Glover andLauren Bacall also star.

Bier's After The Wedding is Bier's follow-up to her Sundance prize winner Brothers, which is currently on release in the US throughIFC.

Danish star Mads Mikkelsenstars as an idealistic manager of a cash-strapped orphange who uncovers alife-changing family secret. Anders Thomas Jensen, whose credits include WilburWants To Kill Himself, wrote thescreenplay.

"Von Trier is a lightningrod for controversy and there is no denying that Manderlay will provoke and engage audiences upon its release,"IFC president Jonathan Sehring said in a statement.

"I am thrilled that weare also able to snatch up Susanne Bier's latest project which is currently inproduction. Susanne and Anders Thomas have written a fantastic script and sheis, in my mind, one of the most exciting filmmakers working today."

Sehring and IFC vicepresident of acquisitions Sarah Lash handled the deal with Peter Aalbaek Jensenof Zentropa Entertainment.