During a party celebrating the father’s 60th birthday, his son reveals a shocking secret that shatters the façade of an apparently perfect family. Festen won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 1998 and is still regarded as a masterpiece of modern cinema. With intense performances and a suffocating atmosphere, this film is an emotional rollercoaster that confronts viewers with themes of shame, guilt, and forgiveness.
Thomas Vinterberg’s Festen is the first film made according to the Dogme 95 principles, a filmmaking manifesto founded by Vinterberg himself along with fellow director Lars von Trier. This minimalist style, featuring handheld cameras and natural lighting, amplifies the raw emotions in this story of family secrets and betrayal.