Within the contemporary Danish cinematic landscape, and beyond, Lars von Trier (b. 1956) remains one of the most provocative figures in cinema. A visually uninhibited filmmaker, always ready to subvert cinematic “etiquette”, he has a particular taste for formal experimentation. From his first feature film, The Element of Crime (1984), to The House That Jack Built (2018), via Breaking the Waves (1996) and Dancer in the Dark (2000), his cinema is defined by a radical spirit.
To accompany the screenings of his complete body of work, the festival proposes an “X-ray” of his cinema, inviting some of his closest collaborators from different fields to share their experiences and discuss his creative process, the evolution of his work and the singularity of his filmmaking methods.
The tribute will also welcome leading international and Danish actors who have accompanied Lars von Trier at different stages of his career: Willem Dafoe, a muse, close collaborator and friend of the filmmaker, who appeared in some of his most celebrated films, notably Antichrist and Nymphomaniac; Stacy Martin, whose career took off with Nymphomaniac; Jean-Marc Barr, whose collaboration with Trier began with the celebrated Europa (1991) and continued across several of his subsequent films; and Jens Albinus, the star of The Idiots, who will offer an insider’s perspective on working under the “Vow of Chastity” of the Dogme 95 movement, among others.
Manuel Alberto Claro, cinematographer of Melancholia, Nymphomaniac and The House That Jack Built, will offer further insight into the visual dimension of this cinema: the use of handheld cameras, the way the camera follows and reacts to the actors, its proximity to a documentary approach, and its relationship with painting, composition and colour.
Anders Refn, one of Trier’s longest-standing collaborators, who has worked with him for some three decades, will share his experience of a career that includes editing Breaking the Waves and Antichrist, as well as serving as assistant director on Melancholia. His testimony will allow audiences to trace the filmmaker’s evolution through the eyes of someone who has worked closely with him in different roles and at different stages of his career, and who is also a personal friend.
This behind-the-scenes access continues with three documentaries filmed during the production of The Idiots, Dogville and Manderlay.
The programme also includes films that have served as references for Trier’s cinematic universe, along with many more surprises…
Feature Films with Discussions
Europa (1991) — with Jean-Marc Barr and Barbara Sukowa
Breaking the Waves (1996) — with Anders Refn
The Idiots (1998) — with actor Jens Albinus
The Boss of It All (2006) — with actress Louise Mieritz
Antichrist (2009) — with Anders Refn
Melancholia (2011) — with Anders Refn
Nymphomaniac Vol. I (2013) — with Stacy Martin and Willem Dafoe
Nymphomaniac Vol. II (2013) — with Manuel Alberto Claro
The House That Jack Built (2018) — with Manuel Alberto Claro
Masterclass by Willem Dafoe, “Working with Lars Von Trier”
Short Film Screening
The Trip to Squash Land; A Flower; Why Try to Escape from Which You Know You Can't Escape from? Because You Are a Coward; The Orchid Gardener; Menthe: The Benefactor; Nocturne; Occupations.
A Night at Jack’s House, at Teatro do Bairro
Dimension 1991–2024
Images of Liberation (1982) — von Trier’s graduation film
D-Day (2001) — co-directed with Thomas Vinterberg, Søren Kragh-Jacobsen and Kristian Levring
And other surprises…
Behind-the-Scenes Documentaries and a Portrait of Lars von Trier
The Humiliated (1998), by Jesper Jargil — documenting the making of The Idiots
Dogville Confessions, by Sami Saif — documenting the making of Dogville
The Road to Manderlay, by Carsten Bramsen — documenting the making of Manderlay
Tranceformer – A Portrait of Lars von Trier (1997), by Stig Björkman and Fredrik von Krusenstjerna — a portrait of the filmmaker
Reference Films
Day of Wrath (1943), by Carl Theodor Dreyer
Edvard Munch (1974), by Peter Watkins
India Song (1975), by Marguerite Duras
And a few commercials here and there…