The Celebration
It's already been thirty years since two Danish filmmakers signed a manifesto, expressing a desire for chastity in filmmaking. The rejection of artifice and the search for authenticity were its main elements, quickly mocked by the filmmakers themselves, in a single shot or a new film that contradicted their tenets. Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg left their mark on their era and on a generation of new filmmakers. But what do these films tell us today, given that they were such a departure from the mainstream of their time?
Winner of the Jury Prize, 1998 Cannes Film Festival
In this first film adhering to the Dogme95 manifesto, a family gathers in a bourgeois house to celebrate the 60th birthday of Helge, the respected patriarch of the family. Christian, his eldest son, is asked to pay tribute to his twin sister, who died a year ago. During his speech, he makes shocking revelations that completely turn the party upside down.
Thomas Vinterberg
Thomas Vinterberg is a Danish film director who, along with Lars von Trier, co-founded the Dogme95 movement in filmmaking, which established rules for simplifying movie production. He is best known for the films The Celebration (1998), Submarino (2010), The Hunt (2012), Far from the Madding Crowd (2015), and Another Round (2020). He became the first Danish filmmaker nominated in the Best Director category at the Academy Awards for Another Round. The film won in the Best International Feature Film category.
Photo: Lars Hogsted | Collections de la Cinémathèque québécoise
