Thomas Vinterberg
- Director
- Writer
- Actor
With Sidste omgang (1993) (Last
Round), his graduation short from The National Film School of Denmark,
Thomas Vinterberg got an early taste of critical success. He received the Jury's and
Producers' Awards at the International Student Film Fest in Munich and
won the 1st Prize at the Tel Aviv Film Fest. Popular success followed
with his breakthrough short fiction film,
Drengen der gik baglæns (1995),
about a boy, who - after the death of his brother - discovers he can
turn back time by walking backwards. This poetic short film was
followed the reckless and fast-paced thriller,
The Biggest Heroes (1996).
Vinterberg is one of the founding "brothers" of dogme95, a set of rules
dedicated to reintroducing the element of risk in filmmaking.
The Celebration (1998) was not only his first
Dogme95 project it was also his first international success. With this
movie he "penetrated a layer of evil and abomination [he'd] never been
to before" (according to an interview by Bo Green Jensen for Weekend
Avisen). The story revolves around Family patriarch Helge Klingenfeldt
Hansen, celebrating his 60th birthday. In a speech the eldest son
addresses his father, supposedly to honor him, only to reveal the
father's darkest secret. Among other international prizes, Vinterberg
received the Prix du Jury of the Cannes International Film Festival.
His feature,
It's All About Love (2003),
is a departure from the dogme95 project. It is the story of John
(Joaquin Phoenix) and Elena
(Claire Danes), whose marriage has fallen
apart. Their troubled relationship is reflected in their surroundings
as Vinterberg attempts to create a parallel between the chaos of the
world and the chaos inside the characters.
Back in his homeland,
Thomas Vinterberg nevertheless sticks
to the English language. His
Dear Wendy (2005), written by
Lars von Trier, is a fierce attack
against America's obsession with weapons. In 2007, Vinterberg returns
to Danish with
When a Man Comes Home (2007)
whose subject (a singer comes home to the town he left behind) is
appropriate to the circumstances. Vinterberg strikes hard with his next
two works, Submarino (2010), the gloomy
story of two brothers who try to cope with their depressing everyday
lives and The Hunt (2012), the shocking tale
of a man who falls prey to a madding crowd. It was no surprise to anyone
that his next project was a new adaptation of a
Thomas Hardy novel with Far from the Madding Crowd (2015).
Round), his graduation short from The National Film School of Denmark,
Thomas Vinterberg got an early taste of critical success. He received the Jury's and
Producers' Awards at the International Student Film Fest in Munich and
won the 1st Prize at the Tel Aviv Film Fest. Popular success followed
with his breakthrough short fiction film,
Drengen der gik baglæns (1995),
about a boy, who - after the death of his brother - discovers he can
turn back time by walking backwards. This poetic short film was
followed the reckless and fast-paced thriller,
The Biggest Heroes (1996).
Vinterberg is one of the founding "brothers" of dogme95, a set of rules
dedicated to reintroducing the element of risk in filmmaking.
The Celebration (1998) was not only his first
Dogme95 project it was also his first international success. With this
movie he "penetrated a layer of evil and abomination [he'd] never been
to before" (according to an interview by Bo Green Jensen for Weekend
Avisen). The story revolves around Family patriarch Helge Klingenfeldt
Hansen, celebrating his 60th birthday. In a speech the eldest son
addresses his father, supposedly to honor him, only to reveal the
father's darkest secret. Among other international prizes, Vinterberg
received the Prix du Jury of the Cannes International Film Festival.
His feature,
It's All About Love (2003),
is a departure from the dogme95 project. It is the story of John
(Joaquin Phoenix) and Elena
(Claire Danes), whose marriage has fallen
apart. Their troubled relationship is reflected in their surroundings
as Vinterberg attempts to create a parallel between the chaos of the
world and the chaos inside the characters.
Back in his homeland,
Thomas Vinterberg nevertheless sticks
to the English language. His
Dear Wendy (2005), written by
Lars von Trier, is a fierce attack
against America's obsession with weapons. In 2007, Vinterberg returns
to Danish with
When a Man Comes Home (2007)
whose subject (a singer comes home to the town he left behind) is
appropriate to the circumstances. Vinterberg strikes hard with his next
two works, Submarino (2010), the gloomy
story of two brothers who try to cope with their depressing everyday
lives and The Hunt (2012), the shocking tale
of a man who falls prey to a madding crowd. It was no surprise to anyone
that his next project was a new adaptation of a
Thomas Hardy novel with Far from the Madding Crowd (2015).