Lars von Trier (néTrier; born 30 April 1956)^[3] is a Danish film director and screenwriter.

Lars von Trier
Trier at the64th Berlin International Film Festival, 2014
Born	Lars Trier (1956-04-30)30 April 1956 (age 68) Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
Alma mater	National Film School of Denmark University of Copenhagen
Occupation(s)	Film director, screenwriter
Years active	1967–present
Notable work	Filmography
Movement	Hyperrealism, Dogme 95, German Expressionism
Spouses	Cæcilia Holbek [da] ​ ​ (m. 1987;div. 1995)​ [1] Bente Frøge ​ ​ (m. 1997;div. 2015)​ [2]
Children	4
Awards	Palme d'Or, EFA, Cesar, Bodil, Goya, FIPRESCI
Honours	Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog

Beginning in the late-1960s as achild actor working on Danish television seriesSecret Summer, von Trier's career has spanned more than five decades.^[4][5] Considered a major figure of the European film industry, he and his works have been variously described as ambitious and provocative, as well as technically innovative.^[6][7] His films offer confrontational examinations ofexistential, social,^[8][9] psychosexual, and political^[4][10] issues, and deal in subjects^[10] including mercy,^[11] sacrifice, andmental health.^[12] He frequently collaborates with the actorsJens Albinus,Jean-Marc Barr,Udo Kier andStellan Skarsgård.

Von Trier co-created theavant-garde filmmaking movementDogme 95 alongside fellow directorThomas Vinterberg and co-founded the Danish film production companyZentropa,^[13][14] the films from which have sold more than 350 million tickets and garnered eight Academy Award nominations.

Von Trier has been the subject of criticisms and controversies.Cannes Film Festival, in addition to awarding his films on numerous occasions, once listed him aspersona non grata for making aNazism joke during an interview. Animal harm onManderlay's set, andgraphic violence andunsimulated sex in some of his films have drawn criticism, and he has also been accused of mistreatment and negligence towards actresses during the filming process, includingBjörk.^[15][16][17]

Born Lars Trier inKongens Lyngby, Denmark, north ofCopenhagen, his parents are Inger Høst and Ulf Trier. He later learned from Inger's deathbed that his biological father wasFritz Michael Hartmann [da], Inger's former boss at Denmark'sMinistry of Social Affairs and aWorld War II resistance fighter.^[18]

He studiedfilm theory at theUniversity of Copenhagen and film direction at theNational Film School of Denmark.^[19] At 25, he won two Best School Film awards at the Munich International Festival of Film Schools^[20] forNocturne andLast Detail.^[21] The same year, he added thenobiliary particle "von" to his name, possibly as a satirical homage to the equally self-invented titles of directorsErich von Stroheim andJosef von Sternberg,^[22] and saw his graduation filmImages of Liberation released as atheatrical feature.^[23]

In 1984,The Element of Crime, von Trier's breakthrough film, received twelve awards at seven international festivals^[24] including the Technical Grand Prize atCannes, and a nomination for thePalme d'Or.^[25] The film's slow, non-linear pace,^[26] innovative and multi-leveled plot design, and dark dreamlike visual effects^{[24][failed verification]} combine to create an allegory for traumatic European historical events.^[27]

Von Trier's next film,Epidemic (1987), was also shown atCannes in theUn Certain Regard section, and featured two story lines that ultimately collide: the chronicle of two filmmakers (played by von Trier and screenwriter Niels Vørse) in the midst of developing a new project, and a dark science fiction tale of a futuristic plague – the very film von Trier and Vørsel are depicted making.^{[citation needed]} He next directedMedea (1988) for television, based on a screenplay byCarl Th. Dreyer and starringUdo Kier, which won the Jean d'Arcy prize in France.^{[citation needed]}

Von Trier has referred to his films as falling into thematic and stylistictrilogies. This pattern began withThe Element of Crime (1984), the first of theEuropa trilogy, which illuminated traumatic periods in Europe both in the past and the future. It also includesEpidemic. He completed the trilogy in 1991 withEuropa (released asZentropa in the US), which won thePrix du Jury at the1991 Cannes Film Festival,^[28] and picked up awards at other major festivals. In 1990 he also directed the music video for the song "Bakerman" byLaid Back.^[29] This video was re-used in 2006 by the English DJ and artistShaun Baker in his remake of the song.^{[citation needed]}

Seeking financial independence and creative control over their projects, in 1992 von Trier and producerPeter Aalbæk Jensen founded the film production companyZentropa Entertainment, which has sold more than 350 million tickets and was nominated for multipleAcademy Awards as of 2016.^[13][14] Named after a fictional railway company inEuropa,^[19] their most recent film at the time, Zentropa has produced many movies other than Trier's own, as well as several television series.^{[citation needed]} It has also produced hardcore sex films:Constance (1998),Pink Prison (1999),HotMen CoolBoyz (2000), andAll About Anna (2005).^{[citation needed]} To make money for his newly founded company, von Trier madeThe Kingdom (Danish titleRiget, 1994) andThe Kingdom II (Riget II, 1997), a pair of miniseries recorded in the Danish national hospital, the name "Riget" being a colloquial name for the hospital known as Rigshospitalet (lit. The Kingdom's Hospital) in Danish.^{[citation needed]} A projected third season of the series was derailed by the death in 1998 ofErnst-Hugo Järegård, who played Dr. Helmer, and that ofKirsten Rolffes, who played Mrs. Drusse, in 2000, two of the major characters, which led to the series' cancellation.^{[citation needed]}

In 1995, von Trier andThomas Vinterberg presented their manifesto for a new cinematic movement, which they calledDogme 95. The Dogme 95 concept, which led to international interest inDanish film, inspired filmmakers all over the world. It required filmmakers to shirk several common techniques in modern filmmaking, such as studio lighting, sets, costumes, and non-diegetic music.^[30] In 2008, together with their fellow Dogme directorsKristian Levring andSøren Kragh-Jacobsen, von Trier andThomas Vinterberg received theEuropean film award forEuropean Achievement in World Cinema.^[31]

In 1996 von Trier conducted an unusual theatrical experiment in Copenhagen involving 53 actors, which he titledPsychomobile 1: The World Clock.^{[citation needed]} A documentary chronicling the project was directed by Jesper Jargil, and was released in 2000 with the titleDe Udstillede (The Exhibited).^[32]

Von Trier achieved international success with hisGolden Heart trilogy. Each film in the trilogy is about naive heroines who maintain their "golden hearts" despite the tragedies they experience. This trilogy consists ofBreaking the Waves (1996),The Idiots (1998), andDancer in the Dark (2000).^[33] While all three films are sometimes associated with theDogme 95 movement,The Idiots was the only one to meet all the necessary criteria to be "certified" as such.^{[according to whom?]}

Breaking the Waves won theGrand Prix at theCannes Film Festival and featuredEmily Watson, who was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Actress.^[34] Its grainy images, and hand-held photography, pointed towards Dogme 95 but violated several of the manifesto's rules.^{[according to whom?]} The second film in the trilogy,The Idiots, was nominated for aPalme d'Or, with which he was presented in person at the1998 Cannes Film Festival, despite his dislike of traveling.^{[citation needed]} In 2000, von Trier premieredDancer in the Dark, a musical featuring Icelandic musicianBjörk, which won thePalme d'Or atCannes.^[35] The song "I've Seen It All" (co-written by von Trier) received anAcademy Award nomination forBest Original Song.{^[36]}

The Five Obstructions (2003), made by von Trier andJørgen Leth, is a documentary that incorporates lengthy sections ofexperimental films. The premise is that von Trier challenges Leth, his friend and mentor, to remake his 1967 experimental shortThe Perfect Human five times, each time with a different obstacle.^[37]

His next proposed trilogy,Land of Opportunities, consists ofDogville (2003),Manderlay (2005), and the unmadeWashington.^[38] The first two installments were shot with the same distinctive, extremely stylized approach, with the actors performing on a baresound stage with no decoration, buildings' walls marked by chalk lines on the floor, a style inspired by 1970s televised theatre.Dogville starredNicole Kidman as Grace Margaret Mulligan, a role taken byBryce Dallas Howard forManderlay.^{[citation needed]} Both films feature an ensemble cast includingHarriet Andersson,Lauren Bacall,James Caan,Danny Glover, andWillem Dafoe. The films question various issues relating to American society, such as intolerance and slavery.^{[citation needed]}

In 2006, von Trier released the Danish-language comedy film,The Boss of It All, which was shot using an experimental process he namedAutomavision, involving the director choosing the best possible fixed camera position, then allowing a computer to randomly choose when to tilt, pan, or zoom.^{[citation needed]} He followed this with an autobiographical film,The Early Years: Erik Nietzsche Part 1 in 2007, which von Trier wrote and Jacob Thuesen directed, a film that tells the story of von Trier's years as a student at the National Film School of Denmark.^{[citation needed]} It starsJonatan Spang as von Trier's alter ego, called "Erik Nietzsche", and is narrated by von Trier himself, with all main characters being based on real people from the Danish film industry.^{[citation needed]} The thinly veiled portrayals includeJens Albinus as directorNils Malmros,Dejan Čukić as screenwriterMogens Rukov, andSøren Pilmark.^{[citation needed]}

TheDepression trilogy consists ofAntichrist,Melancholia, andNymphomaniac. The three films starCharlotte Gainsbourg, and deal with characters who suffer depression or grief in different ways. This trilogy is said to represent the depression that Trier himself experiences.^[39]

Antichrist follows "a grieving couple who retreat to their cabin in the woods, hoping a return to Eden will repair their broken hearts and troubled marriage; but nature takes its course and things go from bad to worse".^[40] The film starsWillem Dafoe and Gainsbourg. It premiered in competition at the 2009Cannes Film Festival, where the festival's jury honoured the movie by giving the Best Actress award to Gainsbourg.^[41]

Melancholia, released in 2011, is an apocalyptic drama about two depressive sisters played byKirsten Dunst and Gainsbourg, the former of whom marries just before arogue planet is about to collide with Earth.^[42] The film was in competition at the2011 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Best Actress award for Dunst.^[43]

FollowingMelancholia, von Trier began the production ofNymphomaniac, a film about the sexual awakening of a woman played by Gainsbourg.^[44] In early December 2013, a four-hour version was shown to the press in a private preview session. The cast also includedStellan Skarsgård (in his sixth film for von Trier),Shia LaBeouf,Willem Dafoe,Jamie Bell,Christian Slater, andUma Thurman. In response to claims that he had merely created a "porn film", Skarsgård stated "... if you look at this film, it's actually a really bad porn movie, even if you fast forward. And after a while you find you don't even react to the explicit scenes. They become as natural as seeing someone eating a bowl of cereal."^{[This quote needs a citation]} For its public release in the United Kingdom, the film was divided into two volumes.^{[citation needed]} The film premiered in the UK on 22 February 2014.^{[citation needed]}

In interviews prior to the film's release, Gainsbourg and co-starStacy Martin revealed thatprosthetic vaginas, body doubles, and special effects were used for the production of the film. Martin also stated that the film's characters were a reflection of the director himself, and referred to the experience as an "honour" that she enjoyed.^[45] The film was also released in two "volumes" for the Australian release on 20 March 2014, with an interval separating the back-to-back sections. In February 2014, an uncensored version ofVolume I was shown at the Berlin Film Festival, with no announcement of when or if the complete five-and-a-half-hourNymphomaniac would be made available to the public.^[46] The complete version premiered at the 2014Venice Film Festival and was shortly afterward released in a limited theatrical run worldwide that fall.^{[citation needed]}

In 2015, von Trier began work on a new feature film,The House That Jack Built, which was originally planned as an eight-part television series. The story is about a serial killer, seen from the murderer's point of view. It starredMatt Dillon in the title role, alongsideBruno Ganz,Riley Keough andSofie Gråbøl.^[47][48] Shooting started in March 2017 in Sweden, before moving to Copenhagen in May.^[49]

In February 2017, von Trier explained that the film "celebrates the idea that life is evil and soulless, which is sadly proven by the recent rise of theHomo trumpus – the rat king".^[49] The film premiered at theCannes Film Festival in May 2018.^[50] Despite more than a hundred walkouts by audience members, the film still received a 10-minute standing ovation.^[51][52]

After the release ofThe House That Jack Built, von Trier planned to produceÉtudes, an anthology film consisting of ten black and white segments, each ten minutes long, inspired by themusical form; though it never came to fruition^[53] In December 2020, it was announced he would produce a belated third and final season ofThe Kingdom, titledThe Kingdom Exodus, withSøren Pilmark returning as Jørgen 'Hook' Krogshøj,Ghita Nørby as Rigmor Mortensen, alongside a new cast includingMikael Persbrandt as Dr. Helmer, Jr. It was shot in 2021, consisting of five episodes released in November 2022.^[54][55] The miniseries premiered out of competition at theVenice Film Festival as a five-hour feature-length film. It received mixed reviews from critics.^[56]

In 2024, Von trier announced that he was working on a new film titledAfter which will benefit from funding from the Danish Film Institute. Filming is expected to begin in late 2024, withStellan Skarsgård having been cast as the film's lead.^[57]

Von Trier's films deal with themes of religious imagery and his treatment of subjects^[10] such as mercy,^[11] sacrifice, andmental health,^[12] confrontational examination ofexistential, social,^[8][9] and political^[4][10] issues. Most of the films depicted in various forms of politics and religions, such asNazism inEuropa,Christianity inBreaking the Waves andThe House that Jack Built,Atheism inDogville, andAnti-bourgeois inThe Idiots.

Von Trier is heavily influenced by the work ofCarl Theodor Dreyer^[58] and the filmThe Night Porter.^[59] He was so inspired by the short filmThe Perfect Human, directed byJørgen Leth, that he challenged Leth to redo the short five times in the feature filmThe Five Obstructions.^[60]

Von Trier's writing style has been heavily influenced by his work with actors on set, as well as theDogme 95 manifesto that he co-authored.^[61] In an interview withCreative Screenwriting, he described his process as "writing a sketch and keep[ing] the story simple...then part of the script work is with the actors."^[61] He again cites Dreyer as an influence, pointing to his method of overwriting his scripts, then significantly cutting the length down.^[61] Reflecting on the storytelling across his body of work, von Trier said, "all the stories are about a realist who comes into conflict with life. I'm not crazy about real life, and real life is not crazy about me."^[61]

Von Trier has said that "a film should be like a stone in your shoe".^[62] To create original art he feels that filmmakers must distinguish themselves stylistically from other films, often by placing restrictions on the film making process. The most famous such restriction is the cinematic "vow of chastity" of theDogme 95 movement. InDancer in the Dark, he used jump shots^[63] and dramatically different color palettes and camera techniques for the "real world" and musical portions of the film,.^[64]

Von Trier often shootsdigitally and operates the camera himself, preferring to continuously shoot the actors in-character without stopping between takes. InDogville, because there were no walls between the "buildings" on the set, actors needed to stay in character for hours, even when not part of the scene being filmed.^[65] These techniques often put great strain on the actors, most famously withBjörk during the filming ofDancer in the Dark.^[66]

Von Trier would later return to explicit images inAntichrist (2009), exploring darker themes, but he ran into problems when he tried once more withNymphomaniac, which had 90 minutes cut out (reducing it from five-and-one-half to four hours) for its international release in 2013 in order to be commercially viable,^[67] taking nearly a year to be shown complete anywhere in an uncensored director's cut.^[68]

While Lars von Trier commissioned new musical compositions for his early films, his more recent work has made use of existing music.^[69] WithNymphomaniac, the principle of musical eclecticism is also applied within the film.^[69] He often heavily edits compositions to manipulate and provoke the audience.^[70]

In an interview forIndieWire, von Trier compared his approach to actors with "how a chef would work with a potato or a piece of meat", clarifying that working with actors has differed on each film based on the production conditions.^[71] He has occasionally courted controversy by his treatment of his lead actresses.^[72] He andBjörk famously fell out during the shooting ofDancer in the Dark, to the point where she would abscond from filming for days at a time.^[73] She stated of von Trier, who shattered a monitor while it was next to her, that "you can take quite sexist film directors likeWoody Allen orStanley Kubrick and still they are the one that provide the soul to their movies. In Lars von Trier's case it is not so and he knows it. He needs a female to provide his work soul. And he envies them and hates them for it. So he has to destroy them during the filming. And hide the evidence."^[74]

Nicole Kidman, who starred in von Trier'sDogville, said in an interview withABC Radio National that she tried to quit the film several times in response to comments von Trier made on set, often while inebriated, "but I say this laughing...I didn't do the sequel but I'm still very good friends with him, strangely enough, because I admire his honesty and I see him as an artist, and I say, my gosh, it's such a hard world now to have a unique voice, and he certainly has that."^[75]

However, other actresses he has worked with, such asKirsten Dunst andCharlotte Gainsbourg have spoken out in defence of his approach.^[74][76][77]Nymphomaniac starStacy Martin has stated that he never forced her to do anything that was outside her comfort zone. She said "I don't think he's a misogynist. The fact that he sometimes depicts women as troubled or dangerous or dark or even evil; that doesn't automatically make him anti-feminist. It's a very dated argument. I think that Lars loves women."^[78]

In 1989, von Trier's mother confessed to him on her deathbed that his biological father was not the man who raised him, but her former employer,Fritz Michael Hartmann [da] (1909–2000),^[79] who was descended from a long line of Danish classical musicians. Hartmann's grandfather wasEmil Hartmann, and his great-grandfatherJ. P. E. Hartmann. His uncles includedNiels Gade andJohan Ernst Hartmann, andNiels Viggo Bentzon was his cousin. She stated that she did this to give her son "artistic genes".^[80] Von Trier has jokingly said, by reference to the distant German origin of the Hartmann family, that while he believed he had a Jewish background, he is "really more of a Nazi."^[81]

During theGerman occupation of Denmark, Hartmann in fact joined aresistance group, actively counteracting any pro-German and pro-Nazi colleagues in his civil service department.^[82] Another member of this resistance group was Hartmann's colleagueViggo Kampmann, who would later become prime minister of Denmark.^[83] After von Trier had four awkward meetings with his biological father, Hartmann refused further contact.^[84]

From 1987 to 1995, von Trier was married to producer and actressCæcilia Holbek [da], with whom he has two daughters, Agnes and Selma (both producers like their parents), and from 1997 to 2015 to Bente Frøge, with whom he has two sons.

Von Trier's mother considered herself acommunist, while Ulf Trier was asocial democrat. Both were committednudists, and von Trier went on several childhood holidays tonudist camps. They regarded the disciplining of children as reactionary. Von Trier has noted that he was brought up in anatheist family, and that although Ulf Trier was Jewish, he was not religious. His parents did not allow much room in their household for "feelings, religion, or enjoyment", and also refused to make any rules for their children.^[85][86]

In a 2005 interview withDie Zeit, von Trier said, "I don't know if I'm all that Catholic really. I'm probably not. Denmark is a veryProtestant country. Perhaps I only turnedCatholic to piss off a few of my countrymen."^[81] In 2009, he said, "I'm a very bad Catholic. In fact I'm becoming more and more of an atheist."^[87]

Von Trier suffers from various fears andphobias, including an intensefear of flying. This fear frequently places severe constraints on him and his crew, necessitating that virtually all of his films be shot in either Denmark or Sweden.^[88]

On numerous occasions, he has stated that he suffers from occasionaldepression which renders him incapable of doing his work and unable to fulfill social obligations.^[89]

On 8 August 2022, it was announced that von Trier had been diagnosed withParkinson's disease.^[90] According toVariety, von Trier plans to take a break from filmmaking to adjust to his new life with the disease, saying: "I will take a little break and find out what to do, but I certainly hope that my condition will be better. It's a disease you can't take away; you can work with the symptoms, though."^[91] On 12 February 2025,Zentropa producerLouise Vesth announced viaInstagram that von Trier had been admitted to a care facility for the condition.^[92]

In May 2011, known to be provocative in interviews,^[93] von Trier's remarks during the press conference before the premiere ofMelancholia in Cannes^[94] caused significant controversy in the media, leading the festival to declare himpersona non grata.^[95] He was therefore banned from Cannes for one year,^[96] althoughMelancholia still competed in that year's competition.^[97]

Minutes before the end of the press conference, von Trier was asked about his German roots and the Nazi aesthetic, in response to his description of the film's genre as "German romance".^[98][99] He joked that since he was "no longer Jewish," having been told the truth about his biological father, he now "understands" and "sympathizes" with Hitler, that he is not against the Jews except for Israel which is "a pain in the ass" and that he is a Nazi.^[99] Von Trier was branded an antisemite for his remarks.^[100] He released a formal apology immediately after the press conference^[101] and kept apologizing for his joke during all of the interviews he gave in the weeks following the incident,^{[102][103][104]} admitting that he was not sober,^[105] and saying that he did not need to explain that he is not a Nazi.^[106][107] However, in 2019, von Trier stated that he made this remark at the "only press conference I ever had when I was sober."^[108]

The actors ofMelancholia who were present during the incident –Dunst,Gainsbourg,Skarsgård – defended the director, pointing to his provocative sense of humor^[109][110] and his depression.^[111] He refused to attend a private press screening of his subsequent featureNymphomaniac. In the director's defense, Skarsgård stated at the screening, "Everyone knows he's not a Nazi, and it was disgraceful the way the press had these headlines saying he was."^[112] The director of the Cannes festival later called the controversy "unfair" and as "stupid" as von Trier's bad joke, concluding that his films are welcome at the festival and that von Trier is considered a "friend".^[96]

Several of his films –The Idiots (1998),Antichrist (2009),Nymphomaniac (2013) andThe House That Jack Built (2018) – contain explicit content that has generated controversy;^[113] the first faced widespread backlash upon its release as one film critic was ejected from its premiere screening at Cannes for heckling, and the film was heavily censored for subsequent releases.^[114] At the2018 Cannes Film Festival, approximately 100 audience members walked out of the premiere ofThe House That Jack Built.^[51]

In October 2017, Björk, in the wake of dozens ofsexual abuse cases brought against film producerHarvey Weinstein, posted on herFacebook page that she had been sexually harassed by a Danish film director.^[115] She commented:

It was extremely clear to me when I walked into the actresses profession that my humiliation and role as a lesser sexually harassed being was the norm and set in stone with the director and a staff of dozens who enabled it and encouraged it. I became aware of that it is a universal thing that a director can touch and harass his actresses at will and the institution of film allows it. When I turned the director down repeatedly he sulked and punished me and created for his team an impressive net of illusion where I was framed as the difficult one. ...and in my opinion he had a more fair and meaningful relationship with his actresses after my confrontation so there is hope. Let's hope this statement supports the actresses and actors all over. Let's stop this. There is a wave of change in the world.^[116]

TheLos Angeles Times found evidence identifying him as Lars von Trier.^[117] Von Trier has rejected Björk's allegation that he sexually harassed her during the making of the filmDancer in the Dark, and said "That was not the case. But that we were definitely not friends, that's a fact", to Danish dailyJyllands-Posten in its online edition.^[118][119]Peter Aalbæk Jensen, the producer ofDancer in the Dark, toldJyllands-Posten that "as far as I remember we [Lars von Trier and I] were the victims. That woman was stronger than both Lars von Trier and me and our company put together. She dictated everything and was about to close a movie of 100m kroner [$16m]".^[119][120] After von Trier's statement, Björk explained the details about this incident:^[121]

In the spirit of#metoo I would like to lend women around the world a hand with a more detailed description of my experience with a Danish director. It feels extremely difficult to come out with something of this nature into the public, especially when immediately ridiculed by offenders. I fully sympathise with everyone who hesitates, even for years. But I feel it is the right time especially now when it could make a change. Here comes a list of the encounters that I think count as sexual harassment:

1. After each take the director ran up to me and wrapped his arms around me for a long time in front of all crew or alone and stroked me sometimes for minutes against my wishes.
2. When after 2 months of this i said he had to stop the touching, he exploded and broke a chair in front of everyone on set. Like someone who has always been allowed to fondle his actresses. Then we all got sent home.
3. During the whole filming process there were constant awkward paralysing unwanted whispered sexual offers from him with graphic descriptions, sometimes with his wife standing next to us.
4. While filming in Sweden, he threatened to climb from his room's balcony over to mine in the middle of the night with a clear sexual intention, while his wife was in the room next door. I escaped to my friends room. This was what finally woke me up to the severity of all this and made me stand my ground.
5. Fabricated stories in the press about me being difficult by his producer. This matches beautifully the Weinstein methods and bullying. I have never eaten a shirt. Not sure that is even possible.
6. I didn't comply or agree on being sexually harassed. That was then portrayed as me being difficult. If being difficult is standing up to being treated like that, i'll own it.

Hope

Let's break this curse.

Warmth

Björk

Björk's manager, Derek Birkett, has spoken in support of her representation of von Trier's actions:^[122]

I have worked with Björk for over 30 years and have never made a single statement or interview regarding our work together. This time is different.

I have read the lies written by Lars and his producer Peter about Björk – and feel compelled to speak out and put the record straight. Over the last 30 years, theDancer in the Dark project is the one and only time she has fallen out with a collaborator.

This was a result of the directors ongoing, disrespectful verbal and physical abuse which continued after both Björk and myself demanded that he stop behaving this way. Björk completed the film out of respect for the cast and everyone involved. I feel compelled to publicly speak out in fierce support of Björk in regards to her terrible experiences working with Lars Von Trier, and I back what she has said 110%.

The Guardian later found that Jensen's studio, Zentropa, with which von Trier frequently collaborated, had an endemic culture of sexual harassment. Jensen stepped down from CEO position of Zentropa as further harassment allegations came to light in 2017.^[123]

Adonkey was slaughtered for dramatic purposes during production ofManderlay, an act that caused actors includingJohn C. Reilly to quit the film in protest of its cruelty to animals.^[124] The scene was cut from the film before it was released.^[125]

AlthoughThe House that Jack Built was praised by animal rights organizationPETA for its use of realistic effects, a scene involving the main character mutilating a duckling was the subject of criticism from some audiences.^[126]

In August 2023, Lars von Trier published onInstagram a critical entry against the delivery ofF-16 fighters toUkraine, ending his post by saying "Russian lives matter also!"^[127][128] The entry immediately became publicized in officialRussian media and by the Russianpropaganda officerMargarita Simonyan.^[129]Oleksiy Danilov, head of Ukraine'sNational Security and Defense Council, responded onTwitter, criticising von Trier's comments, saying, "The choice between the executioner and the victim becomes a tragedy when the artist chooses the side of the executioner."^[127][130] Two days later, Von Trier then made another post on Instagram, saying, "I support Ukraine with every beat of my heart! I was just stating the obvious: that all lives in this world matter!"^[127]

Von Trier often works more than once with actors and production members.Manon Rasmussen was the only crew member as a costume designer to collaborate with von Trier in all of his works (exceptMedea andThe Idiots) sinceThe Element of Crime (1984). His first, but initial acting collaborator forThe Element of Crime wasLeif Magnusson, who appeared in his role as a hotel guest, yet continued to appear again in the last two films as different minor roles for his first trilogy until his acting retirement in the early 1990s. His main crew members and producer team has remained intact sinceEuropa.^[131] Many of his recurring actors have expressed their devotion^[110] to von Trier.^{[132][133][134][135][111]} European actorsJean-Marc Barr,Udo Kier, andStellan Skarsgård have all appeared across several von Trier films. With the exception ofMedea,The Kingdom, his incompleted "USA Trilogy", andThe House that Jack Built; British-French actressCharlotte Gainsbourg and Swedish actorLeif Magnusson are the only two acting collaborators (excluding himself) to have appeared in all installments of two of his trilogies, taking the lead roles inDepression for the former and minor roles inEuropa for the latter.

Note: This list shows only the actors (in alphabetical order only) who have collaborated with von Trier in three or more productions.

Among his more than 100 awards and 200 nominations^[137] at film festivals worldwide, von Trier has received: thePalme d'Or (forDancer in the Dark), theGrand Prix (forBreaking the Waves), thePrix du Jury (forEuropa), and the Technical Grand Prize (forThe Element of Crime andEuropa) at theCannes Film Festival. Von Trier has also received bothGolden Globe Award andAcademy Award nomination for the former.

• In von Trier's second trilogy,Golden Heart, is the first franchise or trilogy to have won bothBodil andRobert for Best Actress in a Leading Role, respectivelyEmily Watson,Bodil Jorgensen, andBjörk, while Watson and Björk also have won theEuropean for Best Actress.^{[citation needed]}
  • Also inGolden Heart, three of them have nominated thePalme d'Or, with the latter won.^{[citation needed]}
• In von Trier's fourth trilogy,Depression, is the first franchise or trilogy to have sweep the Robert forBest Danish Film,Best Director,Best Screenplay,Best Cinematography,Best Editing,Best Sound, andBest Visual Effects.^{[citation needed]}

• 1^Dimension was originally intended a feature-length gangster film with each 33 years of development as for 2024 per theatrical release, but he was lost interest in the project after the death of Cartlidge, Constantine, and Hugo Järegård, in which he completes one of the footages into a short film instead.^[138]

• Bainbridge, Caroline (2007).The Cinema of Lars von Trier: Authenticity and Artifice. Wallflower Press.ISBN 978-1-905674-44-2.
• Goss, Brian Michael (January 2009).Global auteurs: politics in the films of Almodóvar, von Trier, and Winterbottom. Peter Lang.ISBN 978-1-4331-0134-2.
• Lasagna, Roberto; Lena, Sandra (1 June 2003).Lars von Trier (in French). Gremese Editore.ISBN 978-88-7301-543-7.
• Livingston, Paisley; Plantinga, Carl R.; Hjort, Mette (3 December 2008).The Routledge companion to philosophy and film. Routledge.ISBN 978-0-415-77166-5.
• Lumholdt, Jan (2003).Lars von Trier: interviews. Univ. Press of Mississippi.ISBN 978-1-57806-532-5.
• Rudolph, Pascal (2020). "Björk on the Gallows: Performance, Persona, and Authenticity in Lars von Trier’sDancer in the Dark", inIASPM Journal 10/1, 22–42. DOI:https://doi.org/10.5429/2079-3871(2020)v10i1.3en.
• Rudolph, Pascal (2022).Präexistente Musik im Film: Klangwelten im Kino des Lars von Trier (in German). edition text + kritik. DOIhttps://doi.org/10.5771/9783967077582.
• Rudolph, Pascal (2023). "The Musical Idea Work Group: Production and Reception of Pre-existing Music in Film", inTwentieth-Century Music 20/2, DOI:https://doi.org/10.1017/S1478572222000214.
• Schepelern, Peter (2000).Lars von Triers film: tvang og befrielse (in Danish). Rosinante.ISBN 978-87-621-0164-7.
• Simons, Jan (15 September 2007).Playing the waves: Lars Von Trier's game cinema. Amsterdam University Press.ISBN 978-90-5356-979-5.
• Stevenson, Jack (2003).Dogme uncut: Lars von Trier, Thomas Vinterburg, and the gang that took on Hollywood. Santa Monica Press.ISBN 978-1-891661-35-8.
• Stevenson, Jack (2002).Lars von Trier. British Film Institute.ISBN 978-0-85170-902-4.
• Stühl, Leo (2013).Die Kunst im Horrorgenre: Gewaltexzesse und Pornografie in Lars von Triers Antichrist. Hamburg: Diplomica.ISBN 978-3-95549-099-7.
• Tiefenbach, Georg (2010).Drama und Regie (Writing and Directing): Lars von Trier's Breaking the Waves, Dancer in the Dark, Dogville. Königshausen & Neumann.ISBN 978-3-8260-4096-2.
• Tiefenbach, Georg (2024).Romantik und Symbolismus (Romanticism and Symbolism): Bilder und Musik in der Ouvertüre von Lars von Triers Melancholia (Images and Music in the Overture of Lars von Trier's Melancholia). Königshausen & Neumann.ISBN 978-3-8260-9037-0.
• von Trier, Lars; Addonizio, Antonio (1 January 1999).Il dogma della libertà: conversazioni con Lars von Trier (in Italian). Edizioni della battaglia.ISBN 978-88-87630-07-7.
• von Trier, Lars; Björkman, Stig (2003).Trier on von Trier. Faber and Faber.ISBN 978-0-571-20707-7.

• Zentropa official website – von Trier's production company
• Lars von Trier atIMDb
• Lars von Trier in theDanish Film Database
• Senses of Cinema: Great Directors Critical Database
• The Burden From Donald Duck. An interview with Lars von Trier Video byLouisiana Channel