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".

Filmography

• 2020Lars von Trier: The Burden From Donald Duck — Lars von Trier
• 2020The Idiots Who Started The Party — Sig selv
• 2018The House That Jack Built — Director, Writer, Idea
• 2015En invitation fra Lars von Trier
• 2014Too Many Cooks — Pie
• 2013Colors — Fuck Putas Edition
• 2013Nymphomaniac: Vol. I — Director, Writer
• 2013Nymphomaniac: Vol. II — Director, Writer
• 2012A Royal Affair — Executive Producer, Script Supervisor
• 2011Melancholia — Director, Screenplay
• 2010Dimension — Director, Writer
• 2009Antichrist — Director, Writer
• 2007Cinema 16: European Short Films (U.S. Edition) — Director
• 2007The Early Years: Erik Nietzsche Part 1 — Narrator (voice), Screenplay
• 2007To Each His Own Cinema — The filmmaker (segment "Occupations"), Director
• 2006Cinema 16: European Short Films (European Edition) — Director
• 2006The Boss of It All — Narrator (uncredited), Writer, Director
• 2005A Conversation with Lars von Trier — Interviewee
• 2005All About Anna — Executive Producer
• 2005Dear Wendy — Screenplay
• 2005Idiotic Filters
• Klovn — Lars von Trier, Writer
• 2005Le court des grands — Director
• 2005Looking Back At The Idiots
• 2005Manderlay — Director, Writer, Camera Operator
• 2004Kingdom Hospital — Writer
• Stephen King's Kingdom Hospital — Story, Executive Producer, Creator
• 2004The South — Producer
• 2004Visions of Europe — Producer
• 2003Dogville — Director, Camera Operator, Writer
• 2003Dogville: The Pilot — Director, Writer
• 2003Obstruction #1 - The Perfect Human: Cuba — Idea
• 2003Screaming Men — Thanks
• 2003The Five Obstructions — Self / Obstructor (segment "The Conversations"), Director, Idea, Writer
• 2001Wag the Dogma
• 2000100 Cameras: Capturing Lars von Trier's Vision
• 2000100 Cameras: Capturing Lars von Trier's Vision
• 2000D-Day — Director, Writer
• 2000Dancer in the Dark — Director, Camera Operator, Writer, Lyricist
• 2000HotMen CoolBoyz — Producer
• 2000Italian for Beginners — Associate Producer
• 2000Kayaking On The Top Of The World — Executive Producer
• 2000The Exhibited
• 1998Constance — Producer
• 1998Lars From 1 - 10
• 1998The Humiliated
• 1998The Idiots — Interviewer (voice) (uncredited), Director of Photography, Screenplay
• 1998The Kingdom II — Self (uncredited), Director, Screenplay
• 1997Tranceformer: A Portrait of Lars von Trier
• 1996Breaking the Waves — Director, Writer
• 1994The Kingdom — Self (uncredited), Director, Screenplay
• The Kingdom — Director, Writer, Idea, Screenplay, Script, Creator
• Eurotrash
• 1991Europa — Jew, Screenplay, Director, Continuity
• 1989Medea — Director, Adaptation
• 1987Epidemic — Lars von Trier / Dr. Mesmer, Director, Screenplay, Camera Operator, Editor
• 1986Sauna — Director
• 1984The Element of Crime — Schmuck of Ages, Director, Screenplay
• 1982Images of Liberation — Writer, Director
• 1980Kaptajn Klyde og hans venner vender tilbage
• 1980Nocturne — Director, Writer
• 1979Menthe: The Benefactor — The Driver, Writer, Director, Director of Photography, Editor
• 1977The Orchid Gardener — Victor Morse, Writer, Director
• 1971A Flower — Director
• 1970Why Try to Escape from That Which You Know You Can't Escape From? Because You Are a Coward — Director, Writer
• 1969Clandestine Summer — Lars Johansen
• Clandestine Summer — Lars
• 1969Goodbye, I'm Kurt — Børge
• 1968Good Night, Dear — Director, Writer, Director of Photography, Editor
• 1967The Trip to Squash Land — Director
• After — Writer, Director
• Descendant - curated by Lars von Trier
• Études — Director

Appearances as themselves (34)

• 2025Being Bo Widerberg — Self
• 2022Creation of the Kingdom of Exodus — Self / Director / Devil
• 2018Bergman: A Year in a Life — Self
• 2018Living the Light: Robby Müller — Self
• 2017Plankton Salesmen — Self (archive footage)
• 2014Arteholic — Self
• 2013Trespassing Bergman — Self
• 2012Side by Side — Self
• The Story of Film: An Odyssey — Self
• 2010… But Film Is My Mistress — Self
• 2008Ernst-Hugo — Self
• 2007Filmbyen: The New Mecca of Cinema — self
• 2005The Road to Manderlay — Self - director
• 2005Tilbageblik på Idioterne — Self - director
• 2004Dogville Confessions — Self
• 2003Inside Björk — Self
• 2003The Purified — Himself
• 2003Trier, Kidman og Cannes — Self
• 2002Heart of the Festival — Self (archive footage)
• 2000FreeDogme — himself
• 2000Playing the Fool — Self
• 2000The Name of This Film Is Dogme95 — Self
• 2000Von Trier's 100 Eyes — Self
• 1999Dogma 95, a Serious Game? — Self
• 1999The Copyist — Self
• 1998In Doctor von Trier's Laboratory: Back to the Magic of Cinema — Self
• 1998Ironie und Gottessuche - Das Kino des Lars von Trier — Self
• 1995I Am Curious, Film — Self
• 1991Portrait of Lars von Trier — Himself
• 1991The Making of Europa — Self - Director
• 1991Trier's Element — Himself
• 1984Ennenstadt Europa – The Making of The Element of Crime — Self - Film Director
• Grimme Award — Self
• The Missing Films — Himself