Dir. Thomas Vinterberg
1998, 105 min
With Ulrich Thomsen, Henning Moritzen, and Thomas Bo Larsen
The inaugural film of the Dogme 95 movement, The Celebration (Festen) tells the tale of a Danish family gathering to celebrate their father’s sixtieth birthday. As the family settles into a black-tie dinner, the eldest son uses his speech to reveal a hidden family secret that shakes those in attendance to their core and unravels the network of relationships holding the family together.
Written and directed by co-author of the Dogme 95 manifesto, Thomas Vinterberg, and shot in the movement’s trademark realism over constructed style, The Celebration (Festen) would launch the Dogme 95 movement into prominence around the globe as it garnered over twenty-five international awards include a special jury prize at the Cannes Film festival.
