Two Danish production outfits Easy Film and ASA Film have joined forces to produce their future projects in collaboration.

The companies have secured backing from distributor Scanbox for the development of five new features, of which they aim to produce two a year. Scanbox takes Scandinavian rights and will distribute theatrically through its collaboration with Angel Films in Denmark.

Henrik Moller-Sorensen's ASA Film has a string of features behind him, and while Niels Bokkeheuser has been developing feature projects for Easy Film in recent years, he has so far produced documentaries, commercials and TV programmes.

The new setup sees ASA handle development and production, with postproduction by Easy Film. The companies plan to invest an estimated $13.3m (DKR100m) in the five features, with two of these shooting from next year.

Set to shoot in spring 2003 is The Recovery based on a story by Preben Lorentzen, which has been in development at Easy Film for some time. It got under way when ASA's Henrik Moller-Sorensen presented it to Ole Bornedal (Nattevagten, I Am Dina), who has since rewritten it and will direct it as soon as the financing falls into place.

So far national broadcaster DR is behind it, but the producers also expect the Danish Film Institute to back the film. The producers are negotiating with acclaimed Norwegian actress Marie Bonnevie (I Am Dina) to star in the film. It is described as a domestic triangle drama with supernatural elements.

The second film set to shoot in 2003 is director Jorn Faurschou's historic drama Dagen Og Vejen, adapted by John Stefan Olsen from novel by John Nehm. Budgeted at $3.3m (DKR25m) the film is developed by ASA Film with support from the Danish Film Institute and TV2/Denmark as well as labour unions LO and SiD.

"We have the projects, the creative talents so it is perfect that we could get Scanbox to back our idea," says ASA Film's Henrik Moller-Sorensen. "We have experienced that the Danish Film Institute welcomes alternatives to Zentropa's way of making films."

Among ASA's recent films are Morten Kohlert's award-winning family film Little Big Girl (2002), Jacob Groenlykke's Heart Of Light (1997) Erik Clausen's Carl, My Childhood Symphony (1994) and Fish Out Of Water (1993).

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