Filmmaker Lars von Trier has come under fire from the Ukrainian government after saying that “Russian lives matter also” on social media.
The Danish auteur is known for directing controversial films such as Antichrist, Dogville, and The Idiots, many of which are known for their violent and sexually explicit content.
On Instagram on Tuesday (22 August), von Trier shared a post about Russia’s ongoing invasion in Ukraine, which has resulted in the deaths of more than 9,000 civilians and 200,000 military personnel.
He wrote: “By the way: To Mr Zelenskyy and Mr Putin and, last but not least, Ms Frederiksen [Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen] (who yesterday posed, beaming, inside of one of today’s most horrifying killing machines, as if she was head over heels in love).
“Russian lives matter also! Best regards, Lars.”
Von Trier’s post was reshared on Twitter/X by Oleksiy Danilov, the head of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, who wrote: “War is not a movie where actors play life and death. Behind every living Russian terrorist, there is a dead Ukrainian.
“The choice between the executioner and the victim becomes a tragedy when the artist chooses the side of the executioner.”
He continued: “Ukraine doesn’t live in abstraction, but in a cruel reality in which Russians are murderers. A simple piece of advice for a famous director: imagine that it is a Russian missile that is flying into his city every day, that his father or mother was killed, his grandson was taken to Russia, and that a Russian looter raped his wife before burning down his house. In this case, the abstraction of hypocritical ‘humanism’ takes on completely different features – real, not fictional life.”
The Independent has contacted von Trier’s representatives for comment.
The Danish director made headlines last week, too, after sharing a video on Instagram advertising his desire for a “girlfriend and muse”.
He says in the clip: “I don’t know what I’ve dragged myself into this time. So before I drown myself in smug advertising, let me make a few things clear. I am 67 years old. I have Parkinson’s, OCD and an at the moment controlled alcoholism. In short, with any luck I should still have a few decent movies left in me.
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“All this is meant as an old-school contact ad, where I, without knowing the least about social media, [am] looking for a female girlfriend/muse. And despite all the whining, I still insist that on a good day, in the right company, I can be quite a charming partner. Thank you for your infinite patience.”
In 2017, musician and actor Björk, whom von Trier directed in the 2000 musical film Dancer in the Dark, accused the filmmaker of sexual harassment.
Von Trier denies the accusation.
