TEHRAN - The 2011 science fiction drama film “Melancholia” written and directed by Lars von Trier will be shown at the cinematheque of the Iranian Artists Forum (IAF) in Tehran on Monday.

The 130-minute film will be screened as the 624th program of the IAF cinematheque at 6 p.m. at the Nasseri Hall and will be followed by a review session attended by the movie critic Amirhossein Behrouz, Honaronline reported.

The film stars Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, and Kiefer Sutherland, with Alexander Skarsgård, Brady Corbet, Cameron Spurr, Charlotte Rampling, Jesper Christensen, John Hurt, Stellan Skarsgård, and Udo Kier in supporting roles. 

The story revolves around two sisters who find their already-strained relationship challenged. As a blue planet, called Melancholia, is on the verge of clashing with the Earth, the relationship between the two sisters, Claire and Justine, goes through ups and downs as fear grips them.

“Melancholia” premiered at the 64th Cannes Film Festival in 2011, where it received critical acclaim and Dunst won the festival's Best Actress Award for her performance, which was a common area of praise among critics. Many critics and film scholars have considered the film to be a masterpiece. 

Along with von Trier's previous film “Dogville” (2003), it was included in the 2016 poll of the greatest films since 2000 conducted by the BBC and has since been featured in various listings of the best films of the 21st century.

Lars von Trier, 69, is a Danish film director and screenwriter. Beginning in the late 1960s as a child actor working on the Danish television series Secret Summer, von Trier's career has spanned more than five decades. 

Considered a major figure of the European film industry, he and his works have been variously described as ambitious and provocative, as well as technically innovative. His films offer confrontational examinations of existential, social, and political issues, and deal with subjects including mercy, sacrifice, and mental health.

Von Trier co-created the avant-garde filmmaking movement Dogme 95 alongside fellow director Thomas Vinterberg and co-founded the Danish film production company Zentropa, the films from which have sold more than 350 million tickets and garnered eight Academy Award nominations.

The Iranian Artists Forum is located in Artists Park on North Mousavi Street, Taleqani Street.

SS/SAB