Lars von Trier’s ‘Melancholia’ Headed for Toronto Film Festival
Image by Getty Images
Good news for crazy Danish director Lars von Trier, who definitely doesn’t admire Hitler: his latest film, “Melancholia,” will celebrate its North American premiere in September at the Toronto International Film Festival.
The Toronto screening will offer something of a fresh start for “Melancholia,” which temporarily stole the show at the Cannes Film Festival in May, after von Trier said he “understand[s] Hitler” during a bizarre monologue that got him kicked out of the festival.
Toronto has become one of the most prestigious events on the film-festival circuit, and “Melancholia” will screen alongside new movies from A-listers like George Clooney, Madonna, Francis Ford Coppola and Pedro Almodovar. Coming shortly before the start of the movie awards season, the festival may help to alter the buzz about “Melancholia,” a psychological drama that opens in the U.S. in November and stars Kirsten Dunst and Charlotte Gainsbourg.
Perhaps luckiest of all — at least for the film’s distributors — is the fact that von Trier famously hates to travel, and is therefore unlikely to show up for a repeat of his Cannes performance.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
