Venice beckons Joshua Oppenheimer and Lars von Trier

Joshua Oppenheimer's companion piece to "The Act of Killing" is screening in competition at this year's Venice Film Festival. "The Look of Silence" revisits the Indonesian genocide, this time telling the story from the victims' perspective. "The Look of Silence" follows a family whose son was killed in the Indonesian genocide, accused of being a communist. The youngest son in the family, now grown up, vows to confront the people who killed his brother. It is these encounters that make up the core of the film.

Joshua Oppenheimer and Danish production company Final Cut for Real have enjoyed tremendous critical success with "The Act of Killing" since the film premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in 2012. It was nominated for an Oscar in early 2014, and has also been sold world-wide to multiple territories. International sales for "The Look of Silence" are being handled by sales agent Philippa Kowarsky from Cinephil.

"The Look of Silence" is produced by Signe Byrge Sørensen for Final Cut for Real. The film has received support from the Danish Film Institute. Anne Marie Kürstein of the Danish Film Institute handles festivals.

Trier's epic sex tale

"Nymphomaniac" Volume 2. Still: Christian Geisnæs.

The long version of Lars von Trier's "Nymphomaniac" Volume 2 will enjoy its world premiere in the Out of Competition section. The long version of Volume 1, which premiered earlier this year in Berlin, will also be showcased, giving audiences the chance to experience the long version of von Trier's erotic epic in its full five-and-a-half-hour length.

"Nymphomaniac" charts the development of a woman's sexuality from childhood to middle age. One evening an old bachelor, Seligman, finds the self-diagnosed nymphomaniac Joe beaten up in an alleyway. He brings her home to his flat where he tends to her wounds while asking her about her life. Stretched over eight chapters, the film recounts Joe's experiences in a story rich in associations and interjecting incidents.

The film features Charlotte Gainsbourg as Joe and Stellan Skarsgård as Seligman. Newcomer Stacy Martin features as Joe in her early years.

The short, four-hour version of "Nymphomaniac" opened in Denmark on 25 December and has premiered in numerous territories, including the UK and the US.

"Nymphomaniac" is produced by Louise Vesth for Zentropa. The film has received support from the Danish Film Institute. Trustnordisk handles international sales.

This year's Venice Film Festival takes place from August 27th to September 6th.

The Look of Silence

Joshua Oppenheimer, 2014

Through Joshua Oppenheimer's footage of perpetrators of the 1965 Indonesian genocide, a family of survivors discovers how their son was murdered, as well as the identities of the killers. The documentary focuses on the youngest son, an optometrist named Adi, who decides to break the suffocating spell of submission and terror by doing something unimaginable in a society where the murderers remain in power: he confronts the men who killed his brother and, while testing their eyesight, asks them to accept responsibility for their actions. This unprecedented film initiates and bears witness to the collapse of fifty years of silence.

Nymphomaniac

Lars von Trier, 2013

Nymphomaniac is the story of a woman's journey from birth to the age of fifty as told by the main character, the self-diagnosed nymphomaniac, Joe. On a cold winter's evening the old, charming bachelor, Seligman, finds Joe beaten up in an alleyway. He brings her home to his flat where he tends to her wounds while asking her about her life.

Joshua Oppenheimer

Director. Born 1974, Texas, USA. Educated at Harvard and Central Saint Martins, London.

Lars von Trier

Director and screenwriter. Born 30/4 1956, Denmark, as Lars Trier. Studied at the University of Copenhagen's Department of Film and Media Studies (1976-79) and at the National Film School of Denmark (1979-82).