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Lars von Trier Plans to Direct 10 Short Films After ‘House That Jack Built’ Left Him With Terrible Anxiety

The controversial director admits filming "The House That Jack Built" was terrible for him due to anxiety and drinking.

By Zack Sharf

Lars von Trier Follows 'House That Jack Built' With Short Film Project — Indiewire

Zack Sharf

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April 16, 2018 12:08 pm

As the world continues to wait and see whether or not Lars von Trier‘s “The House That Jack Built” will be announced as a late addition to the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, the polarizing director is already making plans for his follow-up project. Danish culture website Soundvenue reports that Trier is putting together an experimental short film project for his next directorial effort. The director announced his plan in a video interview ahead of receiving Denmark’s cultural award, the Sonning Prize, this week.

Trier says the short film project will be called “Études,” inspired by the musical composition of the same name. The director admitted to feeling “terrible” and being ridden with anxiety during the making of “Jack,” which chronicles the rise of a serial killer. “Études” is being conceived as a reaction to “Jack” and will act as a kind of filmmaking recovery for Trier. He implied that production on “Jack” led him to drink and that he’s in no condition to take on another feature project at the moment.

“I felt terrible during the shooting of this film,” Trier said. “And it’s no one’s fault – it’s my own fault, I was just full of anxieties and alcohol and so on. So this is why I can’t really face making a film, at least not immediately.”

“I’ve thought out a little plan to make some very modest, small films of a duration of 10 minutes each, which are called ‘Études,’ where you try something new – narratively, technically or in terms of characters,” he continued. “I plan to make a series of 10 small films in black and white, and I was thinking to work with Nordic actors, as there are just so many good ones.”

Trier says the idea behind “Études” is to make him “feel good” again after “Jack” proved far more tumultuous than he planned. “I work 90 percent better when I feel good than when I feel bad,” he added.

“Jack” stars Matt Dillon in the title role and was widely considered to be a contender for Cannes next month. Despite not being announced during the April 12 lineup reveal, Cannes director Thierry Frémaux told press to “wait and see” about the movie’s fate in the coming weeks. The director was famously banned from the festival in 2011 over a comment involving Nazis during the “Melancholia” press conference. He has not returned to the festival since.

IndieWire has reached out to Trier’s representatives for further comment.

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