Director, Denmark Thomas Vinterberg was born in Copenhagen in 1969. In 1993 he finished his studies at the National Danish Film School with his film Sidste Omgang (Last Round), which received the Jury Prize at the Munich Student Film Festival, as well as the first prize at the Tel Aviv Film Festival. This film was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Short Film section. In the same year he directed another short film, Drengen der gik baglens (The Boy Who Walked Backwards) (1994), awarded in numerous festivals. After his first feature film, De Største Helte, (The Greatest Heroes) directed in 1996, he directed Festen (The Celebration) in 1997, presented in the Official Selection at the Cannes Film Festival in 1998 which won the Jury Prize.