The Norwegian Film Fund has greenlit seven new films, all of which are set to roll this year, with newcomers and children's films grabbing most of the $4.1m support from the fund.

Production outfit Yellow Cottage has received funding for two high-profile children films based on well-known local franchises. Originally a TV-series created by Norway's public broadcaster NRK in the eighties, the adventures of a Volkswagen police beetle as told in Pelle Politibil became a popular franchise including books, records and videos. The $1.5m feature film was granted $950,000.

Another best-selling local franchise, Captain Sabretooth about the adventures of "the world's most cruel pirate", is being made into a $5.2m feature-length animation film produced by Norway's Yellow Cottage and Sweden's Filmtecknarna and directed by Stig Bergqvist (Rugrats In Paris). The fund has so far backed the film with $1.5m.

Production outfit Northern Lights has been granted $1.1m for Summer Of Wolves, a $3m children's action thriller about a 12-year old girl trying to save wolves from local hunters, to be directed by first-time feature film director Peder Norlund.

Another newcomer is Erling Falch, who will direct Burnt Nigger a $960,000 screwball comedy set in a remote Norwegian village involving two dysfunctional families and an African baby co-produced by Falkenfilm and Barentsfilm, the company behind last year's smash hit Cool And Crazy. The film was granted $525,000 by the fund.

Jo Stroemgren, a well-known dancer and choreographer is making his feature film debut with the $1m comedy Plan B, about a theatre ensemble touring in Poland. Plan B is produced by Nordisk Film (I Am Dina), which was granted $700,000 for the project.

A Smile In The Eye, a feature-length, $600,000 documentary portraying Norwegian rave culture is directed by Piotr Kuzinski and produced by Frameline Film, was backed with $270,000 by the fund.

Production outfit Four and a Half was granted $70,000, for the Danish/Norwegian co-production The Heritage, director Per Fly's follow-up to The Bench which won five awards from the Danish Film Academy last year. Zentropa's Ib Tardini (Italian For Beginners) is producing the $2.1m title - the second part of Fly's trilogy about Danish society - shifting the focus from the lower to the upper classes.