Seven years after being banned from the Cannes Film Festival, Danish director Lars von Trier has been invited back to premiere his latest film, the serial killer drama “The House That Jack Built”.
According to Variety, von Trier — director of such controversial films as “Antichrist” and “Nympomaniac” — has seen the ban lifted following negotiations with the festival’s director.
The 61-year-old director was notoriously banned from the festival in 2011 after he jokingly announced “I’m a Nazi” and claimed that he “understands Hitler” during an off-the-rails press conference for “Melancholia”. He’s since appeared in public wearing a t-shirt adorned with the Cannes logo and the words “persona non grata.”
Festival director Thierry Fremaux hinted that von Trier’s ban may be lifted during a recent interview with French radio station Europe 1.
Discussing the ban, Fremaux said, “Lars von Trier? There may be an announcement,” explaining that festival director Pierre Lescure “has been working for several days to lift the status of ‘persona non grata’ which he was qualified [with] seven years ago, thinking that it may be time to redo his place as a filmmaker.”
Asked to confirm whether that meant “The House That Jack Built” would be featured in this year’s festival lineup, Fremaux quipped: “I sort of did.”
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Starring Matt Dillon and Uma Thurman, “The House That Jack Built” promises to polarize festivalgoers with its stark brutality and violent imagery, with von Trier describing the film as a celebration of “the idea that life is evil and soulless.”
