Antichrist release date moved up
by Annika Pham
Lars von Trier’s eagerly anticipated new film, Antichrist [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Lars von Trier
film profile], will reach Nordic screens earlier than scheduled. Originally set for a September 11 release in Denmark, the film distributed by Nordisk Film will now open domestically on May 29 and in Sweden on June 5.
Les Films du Losange will release the film on May 20 in France. According to sales company TrustNordisk, other territories such as Spain, Italy and Belgium have also booked local screens for late May or beginning of June. Most release dates are now clearly set to coincide with the Cannes Film Festival (May 14-24), where von Trier is highly tipped to unveil his first venture into the horror genre.
Over 22 world distributors have pre-bought Antichrist, including co-financier Lucky Red (Italy), along with MFA Film Distribution (Germany), Golem (Spain), Wild Bunch Distribution (Benelux), Video Seven (Greece), Gutek Film (Poland) and Budapest Film (Hungary).
The latest deals were closed by TrustNordisk at this year’s European Film Market in Berlin, on the back of a promo-reel. “We had absolutely outstanding reactions in Berlin,” said the company’s CEO, Rikke Ennis. “We sold the film on the spot to Spain and Korea and…no doubt that we will be going for Cannes. Now we just need to keep our fingers crossed. My personal opinion is that people will either love it or hate it, but you can’t really argue about the fact that it is a masterpiece.”
Antichrist stars Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg as a married couple who withdraw to a secluded woodland cabin (called Eden) following the loss of their son. Oscar winning DoP Anthony Dod Mantle teamed up with von Trier once again, following Manderlay [+see also:
trailer
film profile] and Dogville [+see also:
trailer
film profile].
The thriller is produced Meta Louise Foldager for Zentropa Entertainment23 (Denmark), in co-production with Zentropa International Köln (Germany), Slot Machine (France), Memfis Film (Sweden), Zentropa International Poland and Lucky Red (Italy).
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