Lars von Trier

Biography

Lars von Trier (born Lars Trier; 30 April 1956) is a Danish film director and screenwriter. He is closely associated with the Dogme 95 collective, although his own films have taken a variety of different approaches. He is known for his female-centric parables and his exploration of controversial subject matter.

Von Trier began making his own films at the age of 11 after receiving a Super-8 camera as a gift, and his first publicly released film was an experimental short called The Orchid Gardener, in 1977. His first feature film came seven years later, The Element of Crime, in 1984. As of 2010, he has directed a further 10 feature films, 5 short films and 4 television productions.

He has been married twice and is currently married to Bente Frøge. Von Trier suffers periodically from depression, as well as various fears and phobias, including an intense fear of flying. As he himself once put it, "Basically, I'm afraid of everything in life, except filmmaking".

Known For

The Story of Film: An Odyssey

Self

The Idiots

Interviewer (voice) (uncredited)

Side by Side

Self

Europa

Jew

To Each His Own Cinema

The filmmaker (segment "Occupations")

The Kingdom

Self (uncredited)

Trespassing Bergman

Self

Filmography

Year	Movie	Role
2025	Bo Being Bo Widerberg	Self
2022	Creation of the Kingdom of Exodus	Self / Director / Devil
2020	Lars von Trier: The Burden From Donald Duck	Lars von Trier
2020	The Idiots Who Started The Party	Himself
2018	Bergman: A Year in a Life	Self
2018	Living the Light: Robby Müller	Self
2017	Plankton Salesmen	Self (archive footage)
2015	En invitation fra Lars von Trier
2014	Arteholic	Self
2013	Colors	Fuck Putas Edition
2013	Trespassing Bergman	Self
2012	Side by Side	Self
2010	… But Film Is My Mistress	Self
2008	Ernst-Hugo	Self
2007	The Early Years: Erik Nietzsche Part 1	Narrator
2007	Filmbyen, la nouvelle Mecque du cinéma ?	self
2007	To Each His Own Cinema	The filmmaker (segment "Occupations")
2007	Occupations	Self
2006	The Boss of It All	Narrator (uncredited)
2005	A Conversation with Lars von Trier	Interviewee
2005	Looking Back At The Idiots
2005	Tilbageblik på Idioterne	Self - director
2005	The Road to Manderlay	Self - director
2004	Dogville Confessions	Self
2003	The Five Obstructions	Self / Obstructor (segment "The Conversations")
2003	The Purified	Himself
2003	Inside Björk	Self
2003	Trier, Kidman og Cannes	Self
2001	Wag the Dogma
2000	Von Trier's 100 Eyes	Self
2000	The Name of This Film Is Dogme95	Self
2000	FreeDogme	himself
2000	The Exhibited
2000	100 Cameras: Capturing Lars von Trier's Vision
1999	The Copyist	Self
1999	Dogma 95, a Serious Game?	Self
1998	Im Laboratorium des Doktor von Trier: Zurück zur Magie des Kinos	Self
1998	Lars From 1 - 10
1998	Ironie und Gottessuche - Das Kino des Lars von Trier	Self
1998	The Humiliated
1998	The Idiots	Interviewer (voice) (uncredited)
1997	Tranceformer: A Portrait of Lars von Trier
1997	The Kingdom II	Self (uncredited)
1995	I Am Curious, Film	Self
1994	The Kingdom	Self (uncredited)
1991	Europa	Jew
1991	Trier's Element	Himself
1991	Portrait of Lars von Trier	Himself
1991	The Making of Europa	Self - Director
1987	Epidemic	Self / Dr. Mesmer
1984	Ennenstadt Europa – The Making of The Element of Crime	Self - Film Director
1984	The Element of Crime	Schmuck of Ages
1980	Kaptajn Klyde og hans venner vender tilbage
1979	Menthe: The Benefactor
1977	The Orchid Gardener	Victor Morse
1969	Goodbye, I'm Kurt	Børge
1969	Clandestine Summer	Lars Johansen
1968	Good Night, Dear
	The Missing Films	Himself

Year	TV Show	Role
2011	The Story of Film: An Odyssey	Self
1969	Clandestine Summer	Lars
1964	Grimme Awards Ceremony	Self