Dancer in the Dark

Selma (Björk) has come to the United States from Eastern Europe to earn money for an operation that might save the eyesight of her son, Gene. She works tirelessly, saving every penny, even as the same hereditary condition gradually robs her of her own sight. Yet Selma refuses to despair. She carries within her a secret that helps her endure. When reality becomes too overwhelming, she escapes into her imagination and the world of musical numbers. The joy denied to her in life exists there, in her dreams, making it easier to bear the life she loves so much.

Following Breaking the Waves and The Idiots, Dancer in the Dark completed Lars von Trier’s “Golden Heart Trilogy”, securing its lasting place in the history of world cinema.

Gutek Film

Lars von Trier (b. 1956) – Danish director and screenwriter. Together with Thomas Vinterberg, he created the Dogma 95 manifesto, which called for a return to realism in cinema. He is the co-owner and co-founder of Zentropa, one of the most important production companies in Scandinavia. He won the Palme d’Or for Dancer in the Dark and the European Film Award for Dogville and Melancholia, in addition to more than 100 other awards. In 2011, he was expelled from Cannes for controversial statements and was able to return only seven years later.

18th New Horizons IFF Catalogue