Cannes 2011: Scorsese and Von Trier team up

Maverick arthouse director Lars Von Trier will team up with American auteur Martin Scorsese on a new project, dubbed The Five Obstructions .

The film is based on Von Trier’s original 2003 experiment, in which he set out to remake one of his favourite shorts five times, each with a different “obstruction”.

One was challenge was that no shot should last longer than 12 frames, while another segment was shot in “the most miserable place in the world”.

Von Trier, whose latest film Melancholia is up for this year’s Palme d’Or, is no stranger to rules and restrictions, having co-founded the avant-garde Dogme 95 filmmaking movement.

But it’ll be interesting to see how veteran filmmaker Scorsese rises to the challenge, which is expected to see him revisiting Taxi Driver in some form.

“The idea is you give each other tasks which will move you into an area you have been reluctant to go yourself,” said the Danish director.

The Five Obstructions will start shooting next year.