Five Danish filmmakers are picking up the baton from the founders of Dogma 95 and launching Dogma 25 along with a new manifesto and ten “vows of chastity” to “protect the artistic integrity of feature film and create space for uncompromising cinematic storytelling.”
May el-Thouky (“Queen of Hearts,” “The Crown”), Milad Alami (“The Charmer,” “When the Dust Settles”), Isabella Eklöf (“Holiday,” “Kalak”), Annika Berg (“Hurricane”) and rising talent Jesper Just will lead the new revolution.
Previously, Lars von Trier, Thomas Vinterberg, Søren Kragh-Jacobsen and Kristian Levring kicked off the movement that resulted in 212 Danish and international feature films, including “The Celebration,” “The Idiots,” “Italian for Beginners” and more.
“We celebrate Dogma 95, the filmmakers who came before us, and those who will come after. We stand together to defend artistic freedom as a shield against pointlessness and powerlessness. Dogma 25 is a rescue mission and a cultural uprising,” stated new leaders.
“In a world where formulaic films based on algorithms and artificial visual expression are gaining traction, it is our mission to stand up for the flawed, distinct, and human imprint. We champion the uncompromising and unpredictable, and we fight against the forces working to reduce cinematic art to an ultra-processed consumer product.”
With the manifesto and the vow of chastity, the five directors commit to working within a structure that requires “immersion, restraint and artistic necessity.” Three core themes are “Back to the physical reality,” “Aesthetic restraint,” as at least half of the film must be without dialogue, and “economic and geographic accountability,” meaning the film must be shot where the narrative takes place. Funding may only be accepted if it doesn’t impact the content.
The groundbreaking announcement was made today at Zentropa’s villa, attended by the collective and Dogma 25’s key partners: Nordisk Film, DR and Nordisk Film Distribution.
In a statement, von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg said: “In ’95, we made films in the certainty of peace and created a revolt against conformity. In ’25, new dogmas were created, now in a world of war and uncertainty. We wish you the best of luck on your march toward reconquering Danish film.”
Dogma 25 is an initiative of May el-Toukhy, who brought together the five directors. In late 2024, she reached out to Zentropa to establish the initiative as “a space for development, reflection and innovation.”
“We are in a unique situation where franchises are ruling and original stories are tough to finance. I felt it was all the more important to join this collective, when the world is in fucking ruin, with wars and everything else challenging us. Hopefully this impetus to go back to the Dogma roots of authorship will not only spark inspiration from other filmmakers but also create movies that will surprise the audience,” said Alami, whose latest feature “The Opponent” bowed at the Berlin Panorama 2023.
Louise Vesth and Sisse Graum Jørgensen, two of Zentropa’s managing directors, are in charge of the base financing of the Dogma 25 projects together with Scandi grouop Nordisk Film, pubcaster DR, with TrustNordisk handling sales and the Danish Film Institute providing support for development.
“Investors have to be brave as they can in no way read the script or influence the creative process and content as the filmmakers need to have total freedom. But so far we’ve managed to secure about DKK 10 million ($1.5 million) in ground financing for each of the five Dogma 25 films, then we’ll see if we can raise more cash along the way,” said Vesth who hopes that within the next three years all the features will be in production.
“Even though we have a film environment in the Nordics that works, and we’re always careful to support and foster new talent, any industry needs to be challenged. And to receive this rather radical methodology from those five filmmakers to create new human space at a time when technology is taking over, is just what we need,” added Tine Fischer, CEO at the Danish Film Institute.
Isabella Eklöf is already developing a new project according to the rules.
“I was in a sadomasochistic relationship and I’ve never seen a film about that from a naturalistic point of view. There’s ‘Babygirl,’ but they’re fantasies. I’d really like to make a romantic, down-to-earth film about that.”
She’s looking forward to a “real artistic exploration instead of this crazy machine,” she admitted, but the same name is no accident.
“It’s a cheap money grab!,” she joked.
“We’ve made our own rules, but a lot of it is in the same vein [as Dogma 95]. One of the hard [new rules] is to create a project without the internet, to get away from distractions. Then, hopefully, it comes from a more personal place. It’s more fun if you take these rules seriously.”
For visual artist Jesper Just, Dogma 25 might be a way in.
“A lot of my work has been in opposition to cinema. Now, it’s time to maybe go inside and see if, instead of pointing fingers, it can be done in a different way.”
Eklöf added: “The problem [today] is that TV has stepped up as a player, and it has influenced film as well. It’s the whole assume-the-viewer-knows-nothing kind of idea. But less trust for the audience makes for less interesting films.”
Dogma 25
Here’s the manifesto in its entirety
Dogma 25 is a collective of filmmakers founded in Copenhagen in the spring of 2025. Our stated purpose is to preserve the originality of cinema and the opportunity to create film on its own terms.
The role of the director has increasingly been reduced to that of project manager, the film to a commodity, and the audience to consumers. Experimental practice is stifled by fear of risk-taking, which suffocates artistic exploration and silences unique voices. When films are merely executed and not allowed to evolve organically, it puts the art form in danger of becoming functional, obedient and thereby irrelevant.
In a world where formulaic films based on algorithms and artificial visual expression are gaining traction, it’s our mission to stand up for the flawed, distinct, and human imprint. We champion the uncompromising and unpredictable and we fight the forces working to reduce cinematic art to an ultra-processed consumer good.
By scaling down production, we ensure that everyone on the team has an intimate relationship with the film and its message. This will enhance mutual trust and a sense of collective responsibility for the film and for each other. It also allows us to safeguard the flexibility that is vital in making a creative process dynamic and intuitive, rather than purely executive.
We celebrate Dogma 95, all the filmmakers who came before us, and those who will come after. We stand together to defend artistic freedom as a shield against pointlessness and powerlessness. DOGMA 25 is a rescue mission and a cultural uprising.
To protect and preserve what we hold dear, we hereby submit to the unflinching and unbreakable set of rules called: THE VOW OF CHASTITY.
THE VOW OF CHASTITY
I vow to submit to the following set of rules drawn up and confirmed by Dogma 25:
1. The script must be original and handwritten by the director.
We compel ourselves to write the script by hand in order to nurture the kind of intuition that flows most freely from the dream, channeled through the hand onto the paper.
2. At least half the film must be without dialogue.
We insist on a cinematic approach to filmmaking because we believe in visual storytelling and have faith in the audience.
3. The internet is off limits in all creative processes.
We commit to produce the films relying on real people within our physical reality – rather than in a digital one infused with algorithms.
4. We’ll only accept funding with no content-altering conditions attached.
We assume responsibility for keeping budgets down so the team retains final say in all artistic decisions.
5. No more than 10 people behind the camera.
We commit to working in close collaboration to build trust and strengthen our shared vision.
6. The film must be shot where the narrative takes place.
Film as an art form becomes artificial and generic when we portray a location in a false light.
7. We’re not allowed to use make-up or manipulate faces and bodies unless it’s part of the narrative.
Just as we strive to maintain the authenticity of the location, we also want to portray the human body without a filter. We celebrate it – warts and all.
8. Everything relating to the film’s production must be rented, borrowed, found or used.
We commit to making films using objects that already exist and renounce the ahistorical and self-destructive culture of consumerism.
9. The film must be made in no more than one year.
We abstain from any lengthy processes that stand in the way of creative flow.
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