Danish film director Lars Von Trier, 66, suffers from Parkinson's disease, as reported on Monday by Zentropa, the production company founded by him and with which he has been associated throughout his artistic career. "Lars is in good spirits and undergoing treatment for his symptoms. Work to finish Riget Exodus will continue as planned," a statement said.
Riget Exodus is a TV series that continues the saga started in the 1990s by "Riget" (The Kingdom), which was very popular in Denmark, and which will be shown out of competition at the Venice Film Festival this month.
Zentropa explained that, due to his illness, Von Trier will only participate "in a limited way" in interviews related to the premiere of his next work.
The producer justified the news of the disease to avoid possible speculation about his state of health before the premiere.
Co-founder of the so-called Dogma movement, Von Trier is one of the most prestigious living European filmmakers, with a solid three-decade career in which he has directed titles such as Breaking the Waves, Dancing in the Dark (Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival) , Dogville and Melancholy.
