Festen

Festen (also known as The Celebration) is a 1998 Danish black comedy-drama

Festen
film directed by Thomas Vinterberg and produced by Nimbus Film.

With a budget of US$1.3 million, the film tells the story of a family gathering to
celebrate their father's 60th birthday. It is a dark comedy juggling subjects of
death, trauma and family. Vinterberg was inspired to write it with Mogens
Rukov, based on a hoax broadcast by a Danish radio station.[1]

It was the first Dogme 95 film, an artistic movement created by Danish directors
Vinterberg and Lars von Trier. The movement preferred simple and analog
production values to allow for the highlight of plot and performance. Festen was
selected as the Danish entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 71st
Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.[2][3] In addition, it won
the Jury Prize at Cannes Film Festival in 1998.

Contents
Plot Theatrical release poster
Cast Directed by Thomas
Music Vinterberg
Style Produced by Birgitte Hald
Inspiration Morten
Reception Kaufmann
Awards Written by Thomas
Stage adaptations Vinterberg
See also Mogens Rukov
References Starring Ulrich Thomsen
External links Henning
Moritzen
Thomas Bo
Plot Larsen
Paprika Steen
Helge (Henning Moritzen), a respected businessman and family patriarch, is
Birthe Neumann
celebrating his 60th birthday at the family-run hotel. Gathered together amongst
Trine Dyrholm
a large party of family and friends are his wife Else (Birthe Neumann), his sullen
Music by Lars Bo Jensen
eldest son Christian (Ulrich Thomsen), his boorish younger son Michael
(Thomas Bo Larsen), and his well-traveled daughter Helene (Paprika Steen). Cinematography Anthony Dod
Another sibling, Linda, has recently taken her life at the hotel. Helene finds Mantle
Linda's suicide note, but hides it in a medicine bottle after becoming upset by the Edited by Valdís
undisclosed contents. Michael fights with his wife, whom he had earlier Óskarsdóttir
Production Nimbus Film
company
abandoned on the roadside with their three children, and then has sex with her. Distributed by Scanbox
He later beats a waitress of the hotel after she pulls him aside to discuss that he Danmark
had impregnated her in an affair. Release date May 1998
At Helge's birthday dinner, Christian makes a toast to his father. During the (Cannes)
toast, he publicly accuses his father of sexually abusing both him and his twin 19 June 1998
sister (who has recently killed herself) as children. After an initial shocked (Denmark)
silence, the party goes on as usual as guests decide to move past the moment in Running time 105 minutes
denial. Helge pulls Christian aside to engage in a baffled conversation about his
Country Denmark
accusations. He questions his motivations for slandering him, and Christian
appears to recant his accusation. However, Christian is spurred to further action Language Danish
by hotel chef Kim (Bjarne Henriksen), a childhood friend who knows about the English
abuse. Christian then continues his toast by accusing Helge of causing Linda's Budget US$1.3 million
death through the trauma caused from the abuse. Helge speaks to Christian alone
and makes threatening offers to bring up Christian's troubled personal history
including his impotence with women and his perhaps-incestuous relationship
with Linda.

Further exacerbating the tensions of the day, Helene's black boyfriend Gbatokai
(Gbatokai Dakinah) shows up, causing the racist Michael to lead most of the
partygoers in singing the Danish song "Jeg har set en rigtig negermand" to
offend him. The song contains racist remarks as it describes people of varying
colors with lyrics such as “a real negro man, black as a bucket of tar,” and “a Skjoldenæsholm Castle was the
Chinese man, yellow as a bottle of soda water" filming location of Festen.

Else later makes a toast where she makes insulting comments towards her
children. She accuses Christian of having an overactive imagination. With this, she asks him to apologize for his earlier
statements and accusations. Christian then accuses her of knowing about the abuse yet not interfering. Michael and two other
guests eject Christian from the hotel as guests are still in denial of the incident and are angered by Christian. Christian walks back
in and they beat him and tie him to a tree in the woods outside of the hotel. He unties himself and returns. The waitress, Pia, finds
Linda's suicide note and gives it to Christian.

Christian gives the note to Helene and she reads it aloud in front of the party guests. In the note, Linda states that she is
overwhelmed by trauma from Helge's abuse. Helge admits to his misdeeds and leaves the dining room. Christian has a
hallucination of Linda, causing him to faint. As he awakes, he learns that Helene and Michael are missing. Michael, also drunk,
calls Helge outside and beats him severely. The following morning, the family and guests eat breakfast when Helge comes in and
speaks to the group. He admits to his wrongdoing and declares his love for his children. Michael tells his father to leave the table.

Cast
Ulrich Thomsen as Christian Klingenfeldt-Hansen
Henning Moritzen as Helge, the father
Thomas Bo Larsen as Michael, the brother
Paprika Steen as Helene, the sister
Birthe Neumann as Else, the mother
Trine Dyrholm as Pia
Helle Dolleris as Mette
Therese Glahn as Michelle
Klaus Bondam as Helmut von Sachs, the toastmaster
Bjarne Henriksen as Kim
 Gbatokai Dakinah as Gbatokai
Lasse Lunderskov as The uncle
Lars Brygmann as Lars, the receptionist
Lene Laub Oksen as Linda, the dead sister
Linda Laursen as Birthe
John Boas as Grandfather
Erna Boas as Grandmother

Music
The movie's score is minimal. The film contains no music throughout the performances. Its first musical piece is a rendition of
Frank Mills's "Music Box Dancer," played over the closing credits.[4][5]

Style
Festen 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. The movie is a low budget film and was shot on a Sony DCR-
PC3 Handycam on standard Mini-DV cassettes.[6]

Inspiration
Dogme 95 certificate of authenticity.
Some years after making the film, Vinterberg talked about its inspiration: a
young man told the story on a radio show of the host Keld Koplev. Vinterberg
was told about it by the friend of a psychiatric nurse who claimed to have treated the young man. He listened to the radio
programme and asked the scriptwriter Mogens Rukov to write a screenplay on the events,[7] as if it were the young man's own
story. It was later revealed that the story was completely made up by the patient receiving mental care.[8]

Reception
Festen has earned positive reviews. Based on 34 reviews collected by the film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 91% of critics
gave the film a positive review.[9] Roger Ebert gave the film three out of four stars, writing that the film:

mixes farce and tragedy so completely that it challenges us to respond at all. ... Vinterberg handles his material so
cannily that we must always look for clues to the intended tone.[10]

Psychologist Richard Gartner,[11] who specializes in counseling men who were sexually abused as children, writes that Festen is
a praiseworthy film that accurately depicts the consequences of sexual abuse:

The extent of the father's transgressions is revealed bit by bit in successive revelations. We see that the son has
been severely damaged by his boyhood abuse, and has been incapable of intimate relatedness throughout his life.
His sister, who has committed suicide, was also deeply damaged. The father denies the incest through most of the
movie, and this denial is conveyed and reinforced in the reactions of those who hear the accusations. The
partygoers are momentarily shocked by each disclosure, but then continue to celebrate the birthday in a nearly
surrealistic manner that serves as a dramatic enactment of the chronic denial often seen in incestuous families.
Awards
Festen won the following awards:

Amanda Awards, Norway (1998): Best Nordic Feature Film - Thomas Vinterberg[12]
Belgian Syndicate of Cinema Critics (2000): Grand Prix
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))[13]
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[12]
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 Awards (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

Stage adaptations
Festen has frequently been adapted for the stage; as of 2008 there have been adaptations in more than 15 languages.

The English-language adaptation was written by David Eldridge. It 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, London 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 ran in the Gate Theatre, Dublin, from September 2006 to November 2006.

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

The Company Theatre mounted the Canadian premiere of Festen in November 2008 at the Berkeley Street Theatre in Toronto.
This production was directed by Jason Byrne and starred Eric Peterson, Rosemary Dunsmore, Nicholas Campbell, Philip Riccio,
Allan Hawco, Tara Rosling, Caroline Cave, Richard Clarkin, Earl Pastko, Milton Barnes, Gray Powell and Alex Paxton-Beesley.
The Shadwell Dramatic Society's production of FESTEN opened at the ADC Theatre, Cambridge on the 6 March 2012.

In July 2018 Play Dead Theatre's production of FESTEN opened at the Rippon Lea Estate in Melbourne. It was directed by
Jennifer Sarah Dean and starred Adrian Mulvany.

See also
List of submissions to the 71st Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
List of Danish submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film

References
1. Christensen, Claus (May 18, 2003). "Der var engang en fest" (https://www.webcitation.org/5j8dubs7u?url=http://w
ww.ekkofilm.dk/essays.asp?table=essays&id=19). Ekko. Archived from the original (http://www.ekkofilm.dk/essay
s.asp?table=essays&id=19) on August 19, 2009. Retrieved August 19, 2009. Italic or bold markup not allowed in:
|publisher= (help)
2. Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
3. "45 Countries Submit Films for Oscar Consideration" (https://web.archive.org/web/19990219094343/http://www.o
scars.org/pressreleases/98.11.19.html). Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 19 November 1998.
Archived from the original on 19 February 1999. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
4. "The Celebration [1998, pt. 2]" (http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x106ldu_the-celebration-1998-pt-2_creation).
Dailymotion. p. 40:00. Retrieved 2014-10-20.
5. Leeper, Mark R. (1998). " 'The Celebration': A Film Feview by Mark R. Leeper" (https://www.imdb.com/reviews/15
0/15011.html). IMDB. "rec.arts.movies.reviews" Newsgroup. Retrieved 2014-10-20. "[T]he film has a minimum of
music—the first music in THE CELEBRATION is a music box heard over the end-titles."
6. "IMDB Technical Specs: The Celebration (1998)" (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0154420/technical).
7. Christensen, Claus (May 18, 2003). "Der var engang en fest" (https://www.webcitation.org/5j8dubs7u?url=http://w
ww.ekkofilm.dk/essays.asp?table=essays&id=19). Ekko. Archived from the original (http://www.ekkofilm.dk/essay
s.asp?table=essays&id=19) on August 19, 2009. Retrieved August 19, 2009. Italic or bold markup not allowed in:
|publisher= (help)
8. http://www.ekkofilm.dk/essays.asp?table=essays&id=19
9. "The Celebration (1998)" (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1094723-celebration/). Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved
July 3, 2010.
10. Ebert, Roger (November 13, 1998). "The Celebration Review" (https://web.archive.org/web/20110606123730/htt
p://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F19981113%2FREVIEWS%2F811130301%2F1023).
Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original (http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19981
113/REVIEWS/811130301/1023) on June 6, 2011. Retrieved August 19, 2009.
11. Gartner, Richard. "Cinematic Depictions of Boyhood Sexual Victimization". Gender and Psychoanalysis (1999)
Volume 4, pp. 253-289.
12. "Festen: Awards" (https://web.archive.org/web/20160304035033/http://www.sfi.se/en-GB/Swedish-film-database/I
tem/?itemid=37632&type=MOVIE&iv=Awards). Swedish Film Database. Archived from the original (http://www.sf
i.se/en-GB/Swedish-film-database/Item/?itemid=37632&type=MOVIE&iv=Awards) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved
2013-06-02.
13. "Festival de Cannes: The Celebration" (http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/4907/year/1998.h
tml). festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 2009-09-29.

External links
Festen (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0154420/) on IMDb
Festen (https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1094723-celebration) at Rotten Tomatoes
 An interview with the film director Thomas Vinterberg by Jeremy Lehrer from indiewire.com (https://www.webcitati
on.org/5j8hM5jX2?url=http://www.indiewire.com/article/denmarks_dv_director_thomas_vinterberg_delves_into_th
e_celebration/)

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