Dogme returns for the age of AI

By Anders Lorenzen

Thirty years after Dogme 95 challenged mainstream cinema, a new Nordic-led collective has revived the spirit of the manifesto. Dogma 25 arrives in an age of algorithms and artificial visual expression, with a renewed promise to protect the flawed, human imprint of film.

Remember Dogme 95? Launched in Denmark in the mid-1990s, the experimental film movement was seen by some sceptics as amateur filmmaking, but its impact quickly reached far beyond Denmark.

The original collective was founded in 1995 by four Danish directors: Lars von Trier, Thomas Vinterberg, Søren Kragh-Jacobsen and Kristian Levring. Their vow of chastity set out strict rules for Dogme 95 productions: no director credit, hand-held camera, colour only, no artificial lighting, and a story that took place where it was filmed.

The movement was a rebellion against Hollywood-style filmmaking and a call for story, performance and creative discipline over technical spectacle. Its most famous early examples were von Trier’s The Idiots and Vinterberg’s The Celebration, which helped carry the concept to an international audience. While von Trier was already well known, The Celebration propelled Vinterberg onto the global stage.

Dogme 30 years later

In 2025, 30 years after the original manifesto, a modernised concept was launched: Dogma 25. Still driven by Nordic filmmakers, the new collective has a more international profile. It consists of Danish-Egyptian director May el-Toukhy, Swedish directors Milad Alami and Isabella Eklöf, Danish director Annika Berg and Danish artist Jesper Just.

The collective has released its own manifesto and a new vow of chastity, with the aim of asserting the artistic value of film and creating work rooted in cinematic craft. As the manifesto puts it, Dogma 25 stands up for the “flawed, distinct, and human imprint” at a time when formulaic films based on algorithms and artificial visual expression are gaining traction.

The project is being realised in collaboration with Zentropa, DR and Nordisk Film Distribution, providing a framework for films made under the new rules. Since the collective was formed, other international names have joined, and Netflix has also come on board for the Nordic region, with the films set to appear on the platform after their theatrical release.

The first Dogma 25 feature is Isabella Eklöf’s Mr. Nawashi, described as a BDSM love story. It is currently in production, with theatrical release expected in 2027.