Zentropa Produtions annonces the start of principal photography on May 17th of Lars von Trier`s musical DANCER IN THE DARK starring Björk and Catherine Deneuve. The production will shoot for eleven weeks on location in Sweden, Denmark and Washington state, and at Zentropa Studios in Copenhagen.

Director Lars von Trier wrote the original sreenplay for DANCER IN THE DARK; the score is composed by Icelandic soloist Björk, who makes her feature film debut in a starring role alongside Catherine Deneuve.

Björk stars as Selma, a Czech immigrant and single mother working in a factory in rural America. Selma`s selvation is her passion for music, specifically, the all-singing, all-dancing routines found in classic Hollywood musicals. She hears music everywhere: the clanging and clattering of industrial machinery inspire her to imagine show-stopping numbers featuring her co-workers, including her best frind and confidante.

But Selma harbours a sad secret: she is losing her eyesight and her 10 year-old son stands to suffer the same fate if she can`t put away enough money to secure him an operation. When a desperate neighbour falsely accuses Selma af stealing his savings, the drama af her life escalates to a magnificent and tragic finale.

Lars von Trier`s previous film "The Idiots" was made according to the rules of Dogme95, a manifesto expressly limiting the director`s license to influence his material. The new film does not adhere to Dogma95 principles, but von Trier continues to expand his horizns, describing his latest project as "a big film, a musical melodrama colliding with real liffe."

According to producer Vibeke Windeløv, "Lars wants to explore every film genre. DANCER IN THE DARK is a frankly sentimantal, old-fashioned story in the musical genre, but we are still talking about a Lars von Trier film with music by björk.