"Lars von Trier has crafted a brilliant, thought-provoking parable about tolerance, greed, trust and power, featuring a shattering performance by Nicole Kidman," said Ortenberg. "And it is an honor to be working with one of this generation's most gifted and influential film artists," he added. "We are thrilled to be working with Lions Gate on 'Dogville,'" said producer Vibeke Windeloev. "They are the perfect distributor for our film. They are passionate, and will give 'Dogville' the focus necessary to bring it to its widest possible audience," she added.
In the film, the beautiful fugitive, Grace (Nicole Kidman), arrives in the isolated township of Dogville on the run from a team of gangsters. With some encouragement from Tom (Paul Bettany), the self-appointed town spokesman, the little community agrees to hide her and in return, Grace agrees to work for them. However, when a search sets in, the people of Dogville demand a better deal in exchange for the risk of harbouring poor Grace and she learns the hard way that in this town, goodness is relative. But Grace has a secret and it is a dangerous one. Dogville may regret it ever began to bare its teeth. The film also stars Lauren Bacall, Ben Gazzara, James Caan, Philip Baker Hall and Chloe Sevigny.
Lars von Trier, Denmark's don of Dogma filmmaking and former Palme d'Or winner in 2000 with Dancer in the Dark, is in competition on the Croisette for the seventh time with "Dogville." Produced by Zentropa, von Trier's production company, it heralds the first of a new trilogy, entitled US and A, a series of films which are set in America. His Cannes awards record to date includes: "The Element of Crime" in 1984 (Grand Prix Technique), "Europa" in 1991 (Grand Prix Technique and Jury Award), "Breaking the Waves" in 1996 (Grand Prix) and "Dancer in the Dark" in 2000 (Palme d'Or).
"Dogville" joins Lions Gate's powerful upcoming theatrical release slate, which includes:
· The contemporary thriller "Godsend," with another top-caliber lineup including two-time Academy Award winner Robert DeNiro, Greg Kinnear and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos;
· The true crime drama "Wonderland," with an extraordinary ensemble cast featuring Val Kilmer, Lisa Kudrow, Kate Bosworth, Dylan McDermott and Josh Lucas;
· Lions Gate's recent acquisition "The Cooler, the Sundance Film Festival sensation starring Oscar nominee William H. Macy, Maria Bello and Alec Baldwin;
· "Girl with a Pearl Earring," based on the best-selling novel and starring Scarlett Johansson, Colin Firth and Tom Wilkinson;
· The horror film "Cabin Fever," starring Rider Strong and Jordan Ladd, directed by Eli Roth; and
· The topical and controversial "Shattered Glass," starring Hayden Christensen, Chloe Sevigny, Peter Sarsgaard and Hank Azaria, based on the Stephen Glass story.
