24/04/2003

A trio of Danish filmmakers will represent their country at this year’s Cannes Film Festival: former Palme d’Or winner Lars von Trier (Dancer in the Dark in 2000 ) will present his latest feature entitled Dogville [+see also:
trailer
film profile], with two short films, The Pact and Araki, directed by graduates of the National Film School, selected for sidebar sections.
Dogville, starring Nicole Kidman, Paul Bettany, Harriet Andersson, Lauren Bacall, Jean-Marc Barr, James Caan, Ben Gazzara, John Hurt, Chloe Sevigny and Stellan Skargård (amongst others), will screen in the official competition in Cannes on 20 May and will be released in Denmark on 4 June.
The Pact , directed by Heidi Maria Faisst, will screen in Cannes Cinefondation, the official selection of short films by film school graduates. The Pact stars Kim Bodnia (Pusher) and Bodil Jørgensen (The Idiots). It is the story of siblings, Johanne and his disabled brother, Jonas, whose secluded lives and special relationship are put into perspective when they are forced to spend New Year's Eve with strangers on a small island. The Pact will have its domestic theatrical release on 12 June together with five other graduation films.
Anders Morgenthaler's Araki, the Killing of a Japanese Photographer is about a psychotic who accuses an extreme Japanese artist called Araki of causing his sister's death. And he seeks revenge. This film was selected for the Critics' Week Short Film line-up. The 8-minute film was selected for competition at the last Berlinale and won the Critics’ Award at the 26th Film Schools’ Fesetival in Poitiers (France) in March.

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