The full cast of Lars von Trier's much anticipated new film Nymphomaniac was unveiled this week as filming of the Zentropa production started on Tuesday in Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany.

Aside the already announced Charlotte Gainsbourg and Stellan Skarsgård, other international cast members include Shia Labeouf, Jamie Bell, Connie Nielsen, Mia Goth, Jens Albinus, Severin von Hoensbroech, Peter Gilberg Cotton, Nicolas Bro, Tabea Tarbiat, Janine Romanowski, Jesper Christensen, Tania Carlin, Felicity Gilbert and Shanti Roney.

In her third collaboration with Trier French actress Gainsbourg has the leading role as Joe, a woman who tells her erotic journey from birth to the age of 50. Skarsgård plays Selignan, an old bachelor who finds her beaten up in an alley and brings her home to his flat to care for her wounds. There, he listens attentively as Joe over the next 8 chapters recounts the lushly branched-out and multi-faceted story of her life, rich in associations and interjecting incidents.

In a press statement, Nymphomaniac's sales agent TrustNordisk says that ‘Lars von Trier wishes to transfer, in film, previously unseen qualities from the world of literature. His desire is to create ‘a monumental film about the female erotic desire, with claims and counter-claims, conflicting angles, and moral or perhaps precisely immoral observations.'

Two versions of the film will be available to tackle censorship issues and the sex scenes will be performed with the help of body doubles and visual effects.

Nymphomaniac is produced by Louise Vesth for Zentropa Entertainments in co-production with Zentropa International Köln, Germany, Slot Machine in Paris and Caviar Films, with support from The Danish Film Institute, Filmstiftung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Eurimages, Deutscher Filmförderfonds, Nordisk Film & TV Fond, Belgian Tax Shelter, in cooperation with DR, Film i Väst, participation from Arte, Canal+, The West Danish Film Fund and the Media Programme. TrustNordisk has closed several world territories on the film such as the UK (Artificial Eye), France (Les Films du Losange), Benelux (Wild Bunch) and Russia (Central Partnership). Delivery is expected for Cannes 2013.