Dogme 95: History and Key Facts

Dogme 95 (Danish: [ˈtʌwmə]; lit. 'Dogma 95') was a Danish avant-garde filmmaking movement founded by Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg, who created the "Dogme 95 Manifesto" and the "Vows of Chastity" (Danish: kyskhedsløfter). These were rules to create films based on the traditional values of story, acting, and theme, while excluding the use of elaborate special effects or technology. It was supposedly created as an attempt to "take back power for the directors as artists" as opposed to the movie studio.

Von Trier and Vinterberg were later joined by Kristian Levring and Søren Kragh-Jacobsen, forming a group known as the Dogme 95 Collective or the Dogme Brethren. French-American filmmaker Jean-Marc Barr and American filmmaker Harmony Korine are also seen as major figures in the movement. Breaking the Waves (1996), von Trier's first film under his own production company Zentropa, became the precursor of the movement.

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