Danish Dogme title Truly Human (Et Rigtigt Menneske) has secured a competition slot at the San Sebastian Film Festival in Spain in September.

Seen as somewhere in between the gritty realism of Festen and the Dogme-lite of Berlin title Italian For Beginners, the film was well-received critically and a box-office success when it opened in its home market three weeks ago. Sold internationally by Trust Film Sales, it still holds a number four spot and has chalked up 30,000 admissions despite good weather.

Unusually for the paired down Dogme school, the film is a magical realist tale, revolving around a 7 year-old girl and her imaginary friend who gets the chance to become a real human being. Swedish-born, Denmark-based director Ake Sandgren used tricks such as night vision cameras instead of special effects, which are forbidden by the Dogme code.

Sandgren, a graduate of the Danish Film School, has previous credits including The Miracle in Valby and Beyond. Ib Tardini (Italian For Beginners, The Bench) produced for Zentropa.

The competition slot at Spain's leading festival comes after fellow Danish Dogme title Italian For Beginners won the Silver Bear at Berlin, where it was snapped up by Miramax Films.