Swedish production and distribution company Sonet Film has started shooting its first English-language feature film, The Third Wave, directed by Anders Nilsson, who made local box-office hit Executive Protection in 2001.

Following Sonet Film's local success both Executive Protection and last year's Everyone Loves Alice, the company has announced that it will focus more on international projects to broaden its target market.

"The Swedish music industry has been extremely successful when it comes to exporting Swedish pop music. Now it's the film industry's turn," Sonet's founder and managing director Peter Possne told Screen International.

The Third Wave started principal photography this week in and around Trollhattan (known as Trollywood) in western Sweden. Interiors will be shot there until May 23, while some of the exterior scenes will be shot on location in other parts of Europe. The story takes place in Great Britain, Sweden, the Netherlands, France and Germany.

As a part of Anders Nilsson's trilogy about policeman Johan Falk, following action thrillers Zero Tolerance and Executive Protection, The Third Wave explores pan-European organised crime.

Swedish actors from the first two films, including Jakob Eklund as Johan Falk and Marie Richardson (Eyes Wide Shut, Faithless), star with international actors like Nicholas Farrell (Chariots of Fire, Hamlet) and Ben Pullen (An Ideal Husband).

The film is produced by Sonet Film's Joakim Hansson. Although there is some international financing in the $3.9m (SEK 34m) bugdet, no foreign co-producers are involved.

The Third Wave is set to premiere in Sweden during autumn 2003.