The Celebration (Festen)
Written by Thomas Vinterberg
Dogme #1 (Drama)
1998   |   1h 45m   |   Denmark, Sweden
*In Danish and German with English Subtitles

Synopsis:  Every family has a secret.  At Helge's 60th birthday party, some unpleasant family truths are revealed.

About the Director:  The masterfully conceived films of newcomer Thomas Vinterberg have left audiences as well as critics hoping that he has many more films ahead of him. With "Last Round", his graduation short from The National Film School of Denmark, he got an early taste of critical success. He received the Jury's and Producers' Awards at the International Student Film Fest in Munich and won the 1st Prize at the Tel Aviv Film Fest. Popular success followed with his breakthrough short fiction film, "The Boy Who Walked Backwards" (1994), about a boy, who - after the death of his brother - discovers he can turn back time by walking backwards. This poetic short film was followed the reckless and fast-paced thriller, "The Biggest Heroes" (1996).

Vinterberg is one of the founding "brothers" of dogme95, a set of rules dedicated to reintroducing the element of risk in filmmaking. "The Celebration" (1998) was not only his first Dogme95 project it was also his first international success. With this movie he "penetrated a layer of evil and abomination [he'd] never been to before" (according to an interview by Bo Green Jensen for Weekend Avisen). The story revolves around Family patriarch Helge Klingenfeldt Hansen, celebrating his 60eth birthday. In a speech the
eldest son addresses his father, supposedly to honor him, only to reveal the father's darkest secret. Among other international prizes, Vinterberg received the Prix du Jury of the Cannes International Film Festival.

Screening Times:  Whitaker Lab / Th 7:15 PM, Sat 7:15 PM