The long-gestated project currently in production, is produced by Sigrid Dyekjær (Danish Documentary), behind the Oscar nominated film The Cave by Feras Fayyad and the true crime series The Scandinavian Star by Mikala Krogh and Lars Halskov.

In The Missing Films, Lars von Trier is altogether the main protagonist and an integral part of a creative dynamic that has existed over nearly 40 years with his friends and partners, multi-skilled editor/writer/director Tómas Gislason and editor/director Jacob Thuesen, co-directors of the documentary.

Gíslason who started editing Lars von Trier’s films on the benches of the National Film School of Denmark between 1979-1982, continued collaborating with him on several films, notably as editor/screenwriter of The Element of Crime, visual consultant on Dancer in the Dark and first visual consultant on Antichrist.

Thuesen for his part edited Lars von Trier’s The Kingdom and directed the film Erik Nietzsche-The Early Years, co-written by von Trier who draws a satirical self-portrait of his years at film school.

“The multi-layered documentary is really about those three friends, connected through filmmaking,” says Dyekjær. “The film looks at the creative relationship between them. Who is the mentor? Who is the student? The roles tend to shift between them. It was for instance Tomas’s idea to have Björk in Dancer in the Dark, and his idea to have a 100-camera department and Lars used it to create a cult movie. They all have inspired each other and taken ideas from each other and brought them to different levels, or sometimes created something totally different to provoke each other. And in many ways, it’s this dynamic between the three of them that defines Danish film,” argues Dyekjær.

“The title The Missing Films refers to Lars’ take on his own contribution to the art of filmmaking as “he has strived over the years, to make the films that he feels were missing in film history,” explains the producer.

“As he is at a crossroad in his career, a vulnerable ageing man who questions his creativity, his two friends challenge him. The three have huge arguments about what makes a good film, what a film should be, what elements of filmmaking are the most interesting. And in their engaging conversations, they refer to other cult filmmakers - from Tarkovsky to Bergman - and investigate the DNA of Scandinavian filmmaking.”

At the same time,” continues Dyekjær, “as the three men are self-conscious, aware of their age, they are afraid of losing each other. The Missing Films also refers to them missing each other’s creative partnership.”

Dyekjær says the conversations between the three protagonists, filmed over more than two years, consists of two major shooting periods. One has already been filmed; the second period - post-Covid-19 - resumes now. But for the producer, the main arch of the film and its tone will appear only in the editing room.

The €1m film is produced by Danish Documentary with co-financing from TV2 Denmark, NRK, SVT, with support from the Danish Film Institute and Nordisk Film & TV Fond. Dyekjær is looking for a potential co-production partner in Switzerland, co-financing from Germany and has yet to decide on global sales.

“We’re extremely confident about the film,” says Dyekjær who feels the film will attract “true film lovers, Lars von Trier fans, as well people interested in art and the creative process from idea to screen."

“Our goal is to finish the film for May 2021, hopefully for Cannes,” adds the seasoned producer.