Zentropa
Zentropa, or Zentropa Entertainments, is a Danish film company started in 1992 by director Lars von Trier and producer Peter Aalbæk Jensen.[1] Zentropa is named after the train company Zentropa in the film Europa (1991), which started the collaboration between von Trier and Jensen.
 | |
| Industry | Motion Picture |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1992 |
| Founder | Lars von Trier, Peter Aalbæk Jensen  |
| Headquarters | Hvidovre, Denmark |
Key people | Lars von Trier and Peter Aalbæk Jensen |
| Products | Film |
| Website | zentropa |
It has produced over 70 feature films and has become the largest film production company in Scandinavia. It owns a number of subsidiary companies in Europe.[2] Zentropa is also responsible for creating a large studio complex called Filmbyen (Film City), where both Zentropa and many other film-related companies are located.[3]
Zentropa may be best known for creating the Dogme 95 movement, leading to such acclaimed films as Idioterne (1998), Festen (1998) and Mifunes sidste sang (1999).[4]
In 1998, von Trier made history by having his company Zentropa be the world's first mainstream film company to produce hardcore pornographic films, under the division Puzzy Power. Three of these films, Constance (1998), Pink Prison (1999), and the adult/mainstream crossover-feature All About Anna (2005), were made primarily for a female audience and were extremely successful in Europe, with the first two being directly responsible for the legalising of pornography in Norway in March 2006.[5]
Women too like to see other people having sex. What they don't like is the endless close-ups of hammering bodyparts without a story. Von Trier is the first to have realised this and produced valuable quality porn films for women.
Zentropa's initiative spearheaded a European wave of female-friendly porn films from directors such as Anna Span, Erika Lust and Petra Joy, while von Trier's company Zentropa was forced to abandon the experiment due to pressure from its English business partners.[7] In July 2009, women's magazine Cosmopolitan ranked Pink Prison as No. 1 in its Top Five of the best women's porn, calling it the "role model for the new porn-generation".[8]
Sexual harassment allegations
In November 2017, in the wake of the Me Too movement, nine women – all former employees at Zentropa – spoke of an "ingrained" culture of abuse at the studio. Several of the those interviewed said that their treatment had prompted them to stop working in the film industry altogether.[9][10] Jensen, the company's co-founder and former CEO, was specifically accused of sexual misconduct and sidelined from operations. An internal memo stated that he would no longer exercise "influence on the daily leadership of the company [and] will not partake in any management meetings."[11]
Selected productions
| Work | Year | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Other Lamb | 2019 | Małgorzata Szumowska | Feature |
| The House That Jack Built | 2018 | Lars Von Trier | Feature |
| A Second Chance | 2015 | Susanne Bier | Feature |
| The Model | 2015 | Mads Matthiesen | Feature - The Model in the Danish Film Database |
| On the Edge (2014 film) | 2014 | Christian E. Christiansen | Feature |
| The Absent One (2014 film) | 2014 | Mikkel Nørgaard | Feature |
| The Salvation | 2014 | Kristian Levring | Feature |
| The Hunt | 2013 | Thomas Vinterberg | Feature |
| The Keeper of Lost Causes | 2013 | Mikkel Nørgaard | Feature - The Keeper of Lost Causes in the Danish Film Database |
| Nymphomaniac | 2013 | Lars von Trier | Feature |
| A Caretaker's Tale | 2012 | Katrine Wiedemann | Feature |
| A Royal Affair | 2012 | Nikolaj Arcel | Feature |
| The Secret Society of Fine Arts | 2012 | Anders Rønnow Klarlund | Feature |
| Love Is All You Need | 2012 | Susanne Bier | Feature |
| Perfect Sense | 2012 | David Mackenzie | Feature |
| Melancholia | 2011 | Lars von Trier | Feature |
| Rebounce | 2011 | Heidi Maria Faisst | Feature |
| Love Is in the Air | 2011 | Simon Staho | Feature |
| ID A | 2011 | Christian E. Christiansen | Feature |
| Erotic Man | 2010 | Jørgen Leth | Feature - Erotic Man in the Danish Film Database |
| The Red Chapel | 2010 | Mads Brügger | Documentary |
| The Woman That Dreamed About a Man | 2010 | Per Fly | Feature |
| A Family | 2010 | Pernille Fischer Christensen | Feature |
| In a Better World | 2010 | Susanne Bier | Feature |
| Truth About Men | 2010 | Nikolaj Arcel | Feature |
| Donkeys | 2010 | Morag McKinnon | Feature |
| Nothing's All Bad | 2010 | Mikkel Munch-Fals | Feature |
| Berik | 2010 | Daniel Borgman | Short fiction |
| Klown | 2010 | Mikkel Nørgaard | Feature |
| Zoomers | 2009 | Christian E. Christiansen | Feature |
| Mammoth | 2009 | Lukas Moodysson | Feature |
| Love & Rage (2009 film) | 2009 | Morten Giese | Feature |
| The Blessing | 2009 | Heidi Maria Faisst | Feature - The Blessing in the Danish Film Database |
| Antichrist | 2009 | Lars von Trier | Feature |
| Go with peace Jamil | 2008 | Omar Shargawi | Feature |
| Oneway-ticket to Korsør | 2008 | Gert Fredholm | Feature |
| Fear Me Not | 2008 | Kristian Levring | Feature |
| Little Soldier | 2008 | Annette K. Olesen | Feature |
| Island of Lost Souls | 2007 | Nikolaj Arcel | Feature |
| How to Get Rid of Others | 2007 | Anders Rønnow Klarlund | Feature |
| Echo | 2007 | Anders Morgenthaler | Feature |
| At Night | 2007 | Christian E. Christiansen | Short fiction |
| The Early Years: Erik Nietzsche Part 1 | 2007 | Jacob Thuesen | Feature |
| Råzone | 2006 | Christian E. Christiansen | Feature |
| The Boss of it All | 2006 | Lars von Trier | Feature |
| Snuppet | 2006 | Martin Vrede Nielsen | Feature |
| All About Anna | 2005 | Jessica Nilsson | Feature |
| Manderlay | 2005 | Lars von Trier | Feature |
| When Children Play in the Sky | 2005 | Lorenzo Hendel | Feature - Den sidste åndemaner in the Danish Film Database |
| Brothers | 2004 | Susanne Bier | Feature |
| South (film) | 2004 | Martin Koolhoven | Feature |
| The Five Obstructions | 2003 | Lars von Trier and Jørgen Leth | Feature |
| Sea of Silence | 2003 | Stijn Coninx | Feature |
| Dogville | 2003 | Lars von Trier | Feature |
| Charlie Butterfly | 2002 | Dariusz Steiness | Feature - Charlie Butterfly in the Danish Film Database |
| Minor Mishaps | 2002 | Annette K. Olesen | Feature |
| House of Hearts | 2002 | Elisabeth Rygaard | Feature |
| Truly Human | 2001 | Åke Sandgren | Feature |
| One-Hand Clapping | 2001 | Gert Fredholm | Feature |
| Chop Chop | 2001 | Niels Arden Oplev | Feature |
| D-Dag | 2001 | Lars von Trier, Kristian Levring, Søren Kragh-Jacobsen, Thomas Vinterberg | TV film |
| Foreign Fields | 2000 | Aage Rais-Nordentoft | Feature |
| Dancer in the dark | 2000 | Lars von Trier | Feature |
| Miracle (2000 film) | 2000 | Natasha Arthy | Feature |
| The Bench | 2000 | Per Fly | Feature |
| Italian for Beginners | 2000 | Lone Scherfig | Feature |
| The King Is Alive | 2000 | Kristian Levring | Feature |
| Ikingut | 2000 | Gísli Snær Erlingsson | Feature |
| The lady of Hamre | 2000 | Katrine Wiedemann | Feature |
| Together | 2000 | Lukas Moodysson | Feature |
| A Summer Tale | 2000 | Ulf Malmros | Feature |
| HotMen CoolBoyz | 2000 | Knud Vesterskov | Feature |
| Possessed (1999 film) | 1999 | Anders Rønnow Klarlund | Feature |
| Pink Prison | 1999 | Lisbeth Lynghøft | Feature |
| I Wonder Who's Kissing You Now? | 1998 | Henning Carlsen | Feature |
| Constance | 1998 | Knud Vesterskov | Feature |
| Love Fools | 1998 | Leif Magnusson | Feature |
| The Last Viking | 1997 | Jesper W. Nielsen | Feature |
| Credo | 1997 | Susanne Bier | Feature |
| The Kingdom II | 1997 | Lars von Trier | TV series |
| Portland | 1996 | Niels Arden Oplev | Feature |
| Breaking the waves | 1996 | Lars von Trier | Feature |
| The Greatest Heroes | 1996 | Thomas Vinterberg | Feature |
| Harry & Sonja | 1996 | Björn Runge | Feature |
| The Eighteenth | 1996 | Anders Rønnow Klarlund | Feature |
| Carmen & Babyface | 1995 | Jon Bang Carlsen | Feature |
| Love Me, Love Me Not (1995 film) | 1995 | Carsten Sønder | Feature |
| The Beast Within (1995 film) | 1995 | Carsten Rudolf | Feature |
| Pan | 1995 | Henning Carlsen | Feature |
| Á köldum klaka | 1995 | Friðrik Þór Friðriksson | Feature |
| The Kingdom | 1994 | Lars von Trier | TV series |
| Bíódagar | 1994 | Friðrik Þór Friðriksson | Feature |
| Pretty Boy (1993 film) | 1993 | Carsten Sønder | Feature |
| Family Matters | 1993 | Susanne Bier | Feature |
| Michael Laudrup: A football player | 1993 | Jørgen Leth | Documentary |
Subsidiaries
- EF Rental
- Electric Parc
- Puzzy Power
- Trust Film Sales
- Zentropa Real
- Zentropa Interaction
- Zentropa Rekorder
- Zentropa Klippegangen
- Zentropa International Köln GmbH
- Zentropa International Poland
References
- Historical Dictionary of Scandinavian Cinema. Scarecrow Press. 31 August 2012. pp. 417–. ISBN 978-0-8108-5524-3.
- Angus Finney (10 October 2014). The International Film Business: A Market Guide Beyond Hollywood. Routledge. pp. 106–107. ISBN 978-1-136-29503-4.
- Anne Mette Lundtofte (13 May 2013). Zentropia. Gyldendal. pp. 74–. ISBN 978-87-02-14732-2.
- Palgrave Connect (Online Service) (11 December 2013). Behind the Screen: Inside European Production Cultures. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 229–. ISBN 978-1-137-28218-7.
- "Norwegian Media Authority none-censorship decision" (PDF). Retrieved 15 July 2010.
- Stern No. 40, 27 September 2007
- Thomas Vilhelm: Filmbyen (Ekstra Bladets Forlag, 2003, ISBN 978-87-7731-274-8), page 74
- Cosmopolitan (German edition), July 2009, page 30
- https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/nov/13/nine-women-allege-sexual-harassment-and-bullying-at-lars-von-triers-production-firm
- https://deadline.com/2017/11/danish-authorities-allegations-peter-aalbaek-jensen-zentropa-1202206832/
- Zentropa Sidelines Co-Founder Peter Aalbæk Jensen Amid Harassment Allegations, Elsa Keslassy, Variety, November 15, 2017