Karl von Trier

Karl Bessart von Trier (1265 – February 11, 1324) was the 16th Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, serving from 1311-24.

Karl came from a family of patricians of Trier and strove for a refined education. He was the eldest son of Jakob von Oeren, an alderman. He joined the Teutonic Order in 1288 along with his two brothers, Jakob and Ortolf. During the 1290s he administered the office of Komtur for both German and French bailiwicks (Champagne, Lorraine, and Burgundy). In 1304 he took on the office of Großkomtur and in this capacity became the representative in Venice of Grand Master Siegfried von Feuchtwangen.

Karl was chosen Grand Master by the Order's capitulum in Marienburg in mid-June 1311. He was in favor of reforms within the Order, but his endeavors met resistance. He attempted to introduce the office of conductor, whose appointees would be the only brothers able to deal in commerce and trade. There were disputes among the Order's leaders led by Komtur Otto von Lutterberg and Grand Hospitaller Friedrich von Wildenberg which led to a special assembly of the Order's capitulum which forced him to resign and caused him to leave Prussia in 1317.

Lars von Trier

Lars von Trier (Danish: [lɑːs fʌn ˈtˢʁiːˀɐ]; born Lars Trier; 30 April 1956) is a Danish film director and screenwriter. He is closely associated with the Dogme 95 collective – an avant-garde filmmaking movement – although his own films have taken a variety of approaches. Known as a provocateur, his work has frequently divided critical opinion. Nevertheless, von Trier is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished and influential directors in world cinema.

Von Trier began making films at the age of eleven. He periodically suffers from depression, and also from various fears and phobias, including an intense fear of flying. As he quipped in an interview, "basically, I'm afraid of everything in life, except filmmaking." His first publicly released film was the 1977 experimental short The Orchid Gardener and his first feature came seven years later with The Element of Crime (1984). Among many prizes, awards and nominations, he is the recipient of the Palme d'Or (for Dancer in the Dark), the Grand Prix, the Technical Grand Prize (for The Element of Crime) and the Prix du Jury at the Cannes Film Festival.