Several leading US buyers will be leaving the halls of MIFED this week for a flying visit to Copenhagen where the attraction will be the first ever screening of Lone Scherfig's highly anticipated Wilbur Wants To Kill Himself, the follow-up to her Berlin Silver-Bear winning Italian For Beginners.

Though sales agent Trust Film Sales won't reveal who these buyers are, the acquisitions posse is expected to include United Artists chief Bingham Ray and Newmarket's Bob Berney as well as representatives from Miramax, Fine Line, Focus, Samuel Goldwyn and at least two other distribution outfits.

In addition, there will be potential buyers from Italy, Germany and Japan taking their first look at the film, which receives its Danish premiere on Thursday.

Several other territories have already been taken, with Icon securing UK and Australian rights at Cannes this year, Les Films Bu Losange taking French and Frenetic Films the Swiss rights.

Wilbur was shot in Glasgow and Copenhagen and stars UK talents Jamie Sievesas the main character Wilbur, Adrian Rawlins as his brother Harbour and Shirley Henderson as the love interest Alice.

The only Danish actor involved is today's hottest talent Mads Mikkelsen (Open Hearts). Behind its bleak title hides a romantic comedy, which is just as serious as it is darkly humorous. It centres on two single brothers who take over thefamily's second-hand bookstore, while trying to survive Wilbur's many suicide attempts and unexpected love.

Scherfig co-wrote the script with the talented writer-director Anders Thomas Jensen (Flickering Lights). Newcomer Sisse Graum Olsen (Chop Chop) produced the film for Zentropa on a DKR29m budget financed with Scottish Screen, Glasgow Film Fund, The DanishFilm Institute, TV2 Denmark, SVT (SWE) and Nordic Film & TV-Fund. GillianBerrie of Sigma Films acts as Scottish co-producer and Peter Aalbæk Jensen as executive producer.