Updates on Lars von Trier’s Projects from the Festival del Cinema Europeo

At the 26th Festival del Cinema Europeo in Lecce, directed by Alberto La Monica, producer Louise Vesth of Zentropa opened the tribute curated by Massimo Causo with a detailed overview of Lars von Trier’s current creative phase. “As you all know, Lars von Trier has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. I met him last week and, despite the circumstances, he was in very good spirits,” Vesth said, setting the tone for a conversation centred on work, resilience and artistic clarity.

Vesth then announced two new projects and introduced a message written by von Trier specifically for the occasion.

The Film After: A Work in Constant Evolution

Vesth confirmed that the director is developing After, a project he has described as his final feature. “He no longer works full days as he used to, but I can say with certainty that it is a project in continuous evolution,” she explained. According to Vesth, the film is still undergoing structural shifts, shaped by alternating periods of writing and conceptual revision.

The update offers a rare and intimate glimpse into Lars von Trier’s current process, defined by a slower but still exacting rhythm, reminiscent of the meticulous approach that has characterised his filmography from The Element of Crime (1984) to Melancholia (2011) and beyond.

A Monumental 100-Episode “Encyclopaedia of Cinema and Art”

In addition to After, Vesth revealed a far more expansive undertaking: “We are thinking of a monumental project, because Lars wants to make available to the audience all the knowledge and perspectives he has accumulated over years of work.”

The concept — a 100-episode series combining archival material, personal reflections, and analyses of cinematic form — is intended as a comprehensive map of Lars von Trier’s creative universe. It would assemble his methods, references and long-standing obsessions into an accessible body of work, effectively functioning as a filmed encyclopaedia.

Von Trier’s Cinema: Discipline, Experimentation and Unresolved Questions

Lars Von Trier’s new projects come at a moment of transition. In recent years, he completed The Kingdom Exodus (2022), the long-awaited third season of the cult hospital series The Kingdom, a work marked by both humour and fragility. His filmography — from Breaking the Waves (1996) and Dancer in the Dark (2000) to Dogville (2003), Nymphomaniac (2013) and The House That Jack Built (2018) — has consistently interrogated the edges of narrative and morality, making discomfort a structural principle rather than a provocation.

The encyclopaedic project announced in Lecce appears as a natural continuation of this trajectory: a way of translating decades of research, doubt and invention into a long-form work offering insight into the mechanisms and contradictions of his cinema.

Working with von Trier: A Producer’s Perspective

Vesth highlighted the specificity of their collaboration: “Working with Lars is very simple. He does not fear rules or budget limits: he always finds alternative paths to overcome obstacles. At the same time, he is an author who knows exactly what he wants.”
She described her role as anticipating problems and clearing the way “so he can have the artistic and political freedom he desires.”

The Full Message from Lars von Trier

Vesth concluded the event by reading Lars von Trier’s message to the festival:
“First of all, I would like to thank the Festival del Cinema Europeo of Lecce for this award. It means a lot to me: it shows that my films continue to reach a wide audience.

When I was young, I went to university and film school. I watched a great number of films, but at a certain point I decided that I had to stop watching recent works. Films from the past were fine, but from a certain date onward — difficult to define precisely — I chose not to see new productions.

I explained this decision through the metaphor of an island. Imagine an explorer whose task is to map an island by walking in a straight line, for example towards the northeast. Precision is essential to achieve the goal. The data would become useless, even harmful, if the explorer deviated from the path because something attracted his attention in another direction, perhaps to the southwest.

Similarly, like a chef who must preserve his sense of taste, I have tried not to watch new films in order not to be influenced. I must admit, however, that sometimes I have sinned: I have seen a few. But the reason I avoid doing so is the fear of being overly stimulated by ideas that do not belong to my own path.

I have nevertheless maintained a certain discipline. Receiving this award today makes me happy because it gives me hope that I have not completely failed in my long journey. Thank you very much,
Lars.”

A Retrospective Across Four Decades of Radical Cinema

The Lecce tribute presents ten defining films: The Element of Crime (1984), Epidemic (1987), Europa (1991), Breaking the Waves (1996), Dancer in the Dark (2000), Dogville (2003), Melancholia (2011), Nymphomaniac: Vol. I & II (2013) and The House That Jack Built (2018).

The tribute also includes the Ulivo d’Oro alla Carriera, celebrating a filmmaker whose work continues to challenge — and reshape — the language of European cinema.