Which 1998 Danish independent film was the first Dogme 95 film?

The Celebration is the 1998 Danish independent film recognized as the first Dogme 95 film. Its original Danish title is Festen, and it was directed by Thomas Vinterberg, one of the movement’s co-founders alongside Lars von Trier. The film is also identified as Dogme 1 – Festen.

Dogme 95 was a filmmaking movement that rejected elaborate Hollywood production methods. Its “Vow of Chastity” imposed rules such as shooting on location, avoiding artificial lighting and special effects, and using only sound recorded with the image. The Celebration was shot on a Sony DCR-PC7 Handycam using Mini-DV cassettes, giving its family drama a raw, immediate visual style.

The story centers on a wealthy family gathering for the patriarch’s 60th birthday, where a devastating secret disrupts the celebration. The film premiered at Cannes in May 1998, won the festival’s Jury Prize, and became a landmark of European cinema. A common mix-up is The Idiots, Lars von Trier’s 1998 film, which was also an early Dogme 95 production but was not the movement’s first film.