History
HISTORY
Zentropa was founded in 1992 as a result of the collaboration between director Lars von Trier and producer Peter Aalbæk Jensen on the feature film, Europa (Zentropa). They share an equal ownership of 25% of the company. Another 25 % is owned by imployees and close associates, while the last 50 % was bought by Nordisk Film in February 2008.
Zentropa differs from the other major competitors in the market by having established a decentralized and autonomous organisational structure which creates space for new ideas and alternative methods of production. This particular company culture has drawn remarkable directing talent, and in the 1990′s Zentropa became the driving force behind the “Dogme”- movement, which revitalized Scandinavian film with The Idiots and Italian for Beginners. “Dogma” soon became an idea adopted by film directors all over the world.
Zentropa has produced more than 70 films over the years, by directors such as Lars von Trier (Breaking the Waves, The Kingdom I-II, Dancer in the Dark, Dogville, Manderlay, Antichrist, etc.), and Per Fly (Trilogy: The Bench, The Inheritance, Manslaughter). Many of the films produced by Zentropa enjoy worldwide critical acclaim and have been awarded the most prestigious prizes the festival circuit has to offer, including the Palm d’Or of Cannes, The Silver Bear of Berlin and four Oscar nominations.
Over the years, Zentropa has expanded beyond the limits of Denmark, successfully establishing production units in numerous European countries, including Germany, France, Italy, Poland, the Netherlands and Sweden. In January 2009, Zentropa established ZENTROPA INTERNATIONAL NORWAY (“Zentropa Norge”).
Zentropa Norge is lead by producer and managing director Valerie Saunders. Our goal is to invest in the production of Norwegian and international films, as well as co-produce films with both Norwegian and foreign film companies. We are currently collaborating with established and recognized directors, and we will use our expertise in international film production to make high quality, commercially interesting films.
Other important endeavours of Zentropa include music videos, documentaries, television entertainment, and the development of multimedia projects. There are facilities for post production and sound design, as well as in house rental of production equipment; all in all, Zentropa is self-sustaining in every aspect of filmmaking.
With an annual revenue of $30 million, Zentropa is the largest film production company in Scandinavia, a position it has maintained since 1994.
