The Celebration

Infobox_Film
name = The Celebration (Festen)


caption= "The Celebration" DVD cover
writer = Thomas Vinterberg,
Mogens Rukov
starring = Ulrich Thomsen,
Henning Moritzen,
Thomas Bo Larsen,
Paprika Steen,
Birthe Neumann,
Trine Dyrholm
director = Thomas Vinterberg
producer = Birgitte Hald,
Morten Kaufmann
distributor = Alfa Films (Argentina),
Arthaus Filmverleih (Germany),
Atalanta Filmes (Portugal),
Budapest Film (Hungary),
Cinemien (The Netherlands),
Cult Filmes (Brazil, VHS),
Europafilm AS (Norway),
Gativideo (Argentina),
Golem Distribución S.L. (Spain),
Les Films du Losange (France),
Maywin Media (Russia),
October Films (USA),
Prem'er Video Fil'm (Russia),
Scanbox Danmark (Denmark),
Triangelfilm (Sweden),
Versátil (Brazil, DVD)
music = Lars Bo Jensen
editing = Valdís Óskarsdóttir
released = May 1998
runtime = 105 min.
language = Danish
budget = $1,300,000 (estimated)
imdb_id = 0154420

"The Celebration" is an 1998 Danish film, based not only on an entirely fictitious plot, but on a story made up by a liar. His lie appeared on a radioshow, where the director Thomas Vinterberg heard it, and together with Mogens Rukov wrote the script. [ [http://www.ekkofilm.dk/essays.asp?table=essays&id=19 Der var engang en fest] - af Claus Christensen, Filmagasinet Ekko, 18. maj 2003 {Danish language|Danish}] Its original Danish title is "Festen", and it was released under this title in the UK. The film tells the story of a family gathering to celebrate their father's 60th birthday. At the birthday dinner, his eldest son publicly accuses him of sexually abusing and raping both him and his twin sister (who had just recently committed suicide).

ynopsis

Respected family patriarch and businessman Helge (Henning Moritzen) is celebrating his 60th birthday at their family-run hotel. Gathered together are his loyal wife Elsa, his daughter Helene, his sons Michael (Thomas Bo Larsen) and Christian (Ulrich Thomsen), and other guests. Their oldest daughter, Linda, had recently killed herself in one of the rooms.

Before the celebration dinner, Helene finds Linda's suicide note, but hides it. Later, during dinner, Christian makes a speech to the family in which he accuses Helge of sexually abusing him and his late sister, Linda. Helge's family and friends initially dismiss the accusations as absurd, a joke, or a figment of Christian's imagination. At the end of the film, Christian's accusations are confirmed when the younger sister, Helene, reads Linda's suicide note which states she had begun to have dreams in which her father had begun to molest her again, which led to her suicide.

tyle

"The Celebration" is best known for being the first Dogme 95 film (its full title in Denmark is Dogme #1 - Festen). Dogme films are governed by a manifesto that insists on specific production and narrative limitations (such as banning any post-production sound editing), in part as a protest against the expensive Hollywood-style film-making.

Based on a lie from a radioshow

A young man, "Allan", from southern Jutland, made up a story about his twin sister, their father owning a hotel, and he himself having been subjected to sexual abuse by his father, and told it on air in a radioshow with the host Keld Koplev, who believed it, and thought it made good radio. Søren Vinterberg heard it, and approached the scipt-writer "Mogens Rukov", and together they constructed the plot of the film. [ [http://www.ekkofilm.dk/essays.asp?table=essays&id=19 Der var engang en fest] - af Claus Christensen, Filmagasinet Ekko, 18. maj 2003 {Danish language|Danish}]

tage adaptations

"The Celebration" has frequently been adapted for the stage; as of 2007 there have been English, Danish, Dutch, German, Afrikaans, Greek, French, Italian, Spanish, Swedish, Polish, Czech and Slovenian adaptations.Fact|date=November 2007
The English language adaptation, which retains the Danish title "Festen", was written by David Eldridge, and premiered at the Almeida Theatre in 2004 in a production directed by Rufus Norris, before transferring to a successful West End run at the Lyric Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue until April 2005. It commenced a UK tour in February 2006, before transferring to Broadway. Despite its great success in London, it closed after only 49 performances on Broadway, ending on May 20, 2006. It opened in Melbourne, Australia in July 2006 starring Jason Donovan. An Irish production (under the title of 'Festen') ran in the Gate Theatre, Dublin, from September 2006 to November 2006.

In 2006, a Mexican adaptation opened, starring famous Mexican actor Diego Luna. In September 2007 a Peruvian production opened starring Paul Vega and Hernan Romero under the direction of Chela de Ferrari.

Awards

"The Celebration" won the following awards:
* Amanda Awards, Norway (1998): Best Nordic Feature Film - Thomas Vinterberg
* Bodil Awards (1999): ::* Best Actor - Ulrich Thomsen ::* Best Film - Thomas Vinterberg
* Canberra International Film Festival (1999): Audience Award - Thomas Vinterberg
* Cannes Film Festival (1998): Jury Prize - Thomas Vinterberg (Tied with "La classe de neige" (1998))
* European Film Awards (1998): European Discovery of the Year - Thomas Vinterberg (Tied with Vie rêvée des anges, La (1998))
* Gijón International Film Festival (1998): Best Director - Thomas Vinterberg
* Guldbagge Awards (1999): Best Foreign Film - Thomas Vinterberg
* Independent Spirit Awards (1999): Best Foreign Film - Thomas Vinterberg
* Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards (1998): Best Foreign Film - Thomas Vinterberg
* Lübeck Nordic Film Days (1998): ::* Audience Prize of the "Lübecker Nachrichten" - Thomas Vinterberg::* Baltic Film Prize for a Nordic Feature Film - Thomas Vinterberg::* Prize of the Ecumenical Jury - Thomas Vinterberg
* New York Film Critics Circle Awards (1998): Best Foreign Language Film - Thomas Vinterberg
* Norwegian International Film Festival (1999): Best Foreign Film of the Year - Thomas Vinterberg
* Robert Festival (1999): ::* Best Actor - Ulrich Thomsen ::* Best Cinematography - Anthony Dod Mantle ::* Best Editing - Valdís Óskarsdóttir ::* Best Film - Thomas Vinterberg ::* Best Screenplay - Thomas Vinterberg, Mogens Rukov ::* Best Supporting Actor - Thomas Bo Larsen ::* Best Supporting Actress - Birthe Neumann
* Rotterdam International Film Festival (1999): Audience Award - Thomas Vinterberg
* São Paulo International Film Festival (1998): Honorable Mention - Thomas Vinterberg

ee also

*Dogme 95
*The Celebration (Play)
*Nimbus Film
*List of films portraying paedophilia or sexual abuse of minors

Notes

External links

* [http://www.dogme95.dk Dogme website]
*
* [http://www.nimbusfilm.dk Nimbus Film Official Website]
* [http://www.indiewire.com/people/int_Vinterberg_Thms_981014.html An interview with the film director Thomas Vinterberg by Jeremy Lehrer from indiewire.com]