Festen was shot on digital video and then transferred to film – a procedure that is barely noticeable when you watch it. Thomas Vinterberg was a signatory with e.g. Lars Von Trier to the controversial Dogma 95 manifesto and made this film more or less by this pledge of chastity. Shooting on video is not a Dogma rule, but follows logically from the rule that the film should be shot with the hand. The final format has to be 35mm Academy.In a country mansion, guests and staff prepare for a summer party. The head of the Helge Klingenfeldt family is turning sixty and the event has to be celebrated on a grand scale. Nothing is left to chance to ensure the success of the party. But it is soon clear that unpleasant surprises are in store. For instance, son Michael has not been invited because he didn’t attend the funeral of his sister Linda several months before. Michael comes anyway and there are other painful reminders of Linda. For instance, daughter Helene moves into Linda’s room, that had been left untouched since her death.Entirely in line with Dogma, Vinterberg concentrated on making the best possible use of the actors and the specific potential of the location. These self-imposed restrictions hit home. The film has been well received internationally.
