Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is proud to announce the next series in a year-long partnership between the Alamo On Demand VOD platform and the Danish Film Institute with the support of the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark. The series features 36 films in total, rolled out in thematic “six packs” the last Thursday of every other month. In addition to the 36 featured films, Alamo is also curating one of the largest collections of Danish films on the planet, many exclusive to Alamo on Demand. Anyone who watches all 36 films in the series will be invited to a “Meet the Danes” party in Los Angeles or New York. Dates and details will be announced later.
This month we are celebrating the distinctly Danish film movement/manifesto Dogme 95 that burst forth from Danish auteurs Thomas Vinterberg and Lars Von Trier in 1995. They announced by gleefully passing out pamphlets to a befuddled audience at the rather orthodox “Cinema Towards its Second Century” conference in Paris.
Their idea was a “purification” of cinema, stripping away the artifice, technology and, very pointedly, big studio influence. With no gimmicks, no post-production, no special effects, no sets, no sync-sound and no artificial lighting, Dogme 95 films were intended to be a pure expression of the art of storytelling. Only a scant 31 films from 1998 to 2005 are officially recognized Dogme 95 films; the movement “disbanded” in 2005. But the influence, ideas and philosophy influenced countless filmmakers in the movement’s wake and helped to reshape the aesthetic of modern independent cinema.
The two centerpiece films are the first two films of the movement, directed by the founders of the movement: Thomas Vinterberg’s THE CELEBRATION and Lars Von Trier’s THE IDIOTS. THE IDIOTS, THE CELEBRATION and Dogme 95 #18 TRULY HUMAN are exclusively available on Alamo on Demand.
DOGME 95 #1: THE CELEBRATION (1998, director: Thomas Vinterberg)
EXCLUSIVE TO ALAMO ON DEMAND
Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes 1998. It's magnate and patriarch Helge Klingenfeldt's much-anticipated sixtieth birthday party, but no one is ready for the bombshell about to be delivered by his oldest son, Christian - a dark family secret that contributed to his twin sister's recent suicide.
DOGME 95 #2: THE IDIOTS (1998, director: Lars Von Trier)
EXCLUSIVE TO ALAMO ON DEMAND
Also debuting at Cannes 1998, the launch year for Dogme 95, THE IDIOTS was perhaps a bit too punk to win critic’s prizes, but is an extraordinary, bold and very unique film. A group of friends gather at a house in the Copenhagen suburbs to break all the limitations and to bring out the "inner idiot" in themselves. THE IDIOTS is available on VOD for the first time in the states.
DOGME 95 #18: TRULY HUMAN (2001, director: Åke Sandgren)
EXCLUSIVE TO ALAMO ON DEMAND
P (Nikolaj LIe Kass) is 7-year old Lisa's (Clara Nepper Winther) imaginary brother who lives behind the wallpaper in her room. When their apartment building is torn down, P finds himself thrust into the actual world and needs to learn how to become "truly human." But will a pure and kind person but broken by the deceit, anger, and intolerance of this world? P ends up at a refugee center, eventually is provided an apartment by the state, and gets a job in a shoe store. P's naiveté, goodwill, and kindness, however, are both misunderstood and make him easy prey. Truly Human is available on VOD for the first time in the states.
DOGME 95 #12: ITALIAN FOR BEGINNERS (2000, director: Lone Scherfig)
An unforgettable romantic comedy about seven strangers and the shared journey of discovery that changes their lives! In a small, rainy suburb, a mismatched collection of opposites have signed up for an Italian class in hopes of spicing up their lives. They soon realize the class offers them more than just language lessons and join together on a quest to Italy to pursue the romances of their lives!
DOGME 95 #21: KIRA’S REASONS (2001, director: Ole Christian Madsen)
Kira and Mads try to work out their marriage after Kira has been two years in a mental institution, but is she really ready for the real world? “Sexually charged, ferocious…a lusty, go-for-broke performance!” -Variety “There isn’t a false note…the performances are simply luminescent.” - The Globe and Mail
MINOR MISHAPS (2002, director: Annette K. Olesen)
Although not a formally certified a Dogme 95 production, MINOR MISHAPS certainly plays by its rules, adheres to its philosophy and shows the spreading influence of the movement. The artifice is stripped away leaving a lean, character-driven narrative. This debut by director Annette K. Olesen also follows the “Mike Leigh workshopping” method where actors go away and research their character before doing solo improvisations for the director. MINOR MISHAPS begins with the untimely death of the matriarch of the Olsen family and then slowly expands to explore the lives of the entire family.
And to round out this month's focus on incredible Danish films, we are including Dogme 95 co-founder Thomas Vinterberg’s awards-contending film ANOTHER ROUND featuring another stand-out performance by the ever-delightful Mads Mikkelsen. In ANOTHER ROUND, he tests the fringe theory that you are at your best as a human if you, all day, every day maintain a modest level of insobriety. While not a Dogme film, facets of the ethos still pulse within this unique, funny and ultimately sobering film. ANOTHER ROUND is the hands-down favorite to take the Oscar this year for Best International Feature.
The Best of Danish Cinema