if it were the young man's own story. It was later revealed that the story was completely made up by the patient receiving mental care. Reception Critical response Festen has earned positive reviews. Based on 45 reviews collected by the film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 91% of critics gave the film a positive review. On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 82 out of 100, based on 7 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Roger Ebert gave the film three out of four stars, writing that the film: Psychologist Richard Gartner, who specializes in counseling men who were sexually abused as children, writes that Festen is a praiseworthy film that accurately depicts the consequences of sexual abuse: Accolades Festen won the following awards: Amanda Awards, Norway (1998): Best Nordic Feature Film - Thomas Vinterberg Belgian Syndicate of Cinema Critics (2000): Grand Prix Bodil Awards (1999): Best Actor - Ulrich Thomsen Best Film - Thomas Vinterberg Canberra International Film Festival (1999): Audience Award - Thomas Vinterberg Cannes Film Festival (1998): Jury Prize - Thomas Vinterberg (Tied with La Classe de Neige (1998)) European Film Awards (1998): European Discovery of the Year - Thomas Vinterberg (Tied with Vie rêvée des anges, La (1998)) Gijón International Film Festival (1998): Best Director - Thomas Vinterberg Guldbagge Awards (1999): Best Foreign Film - Thomas Vinterberg Independent Spirit Awards (1999): Best Foreign Film - Thomas Vinterberg Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards (1998): Best Foreign Film - Thomas Vinterberg Lübeck Nordic Film Days (1998): Audience Prize of the "Lübecker Nachrichten" - Thomas Vinterberg Baltic Film Prize for a Nordic Feature Film - Thomas Vinterberg Prize of the Ecumenical Jury - Thomas Vinterberg New York Film Critics Circle Awards (1998): Best Foreign Language Film - Thomas Vinterberg Norwegian International Film Festival (1999): Best Foreign Film of the Year - Thomas Vinterberg Robert Awards (1999): Best Actor - Ulrich Thomsen Best Cinematography - Anthony Dod Mantle Best Editing - Valdís Óskarsdóttir Best Film - Thomas Vinterberg Best Screenplay - Thomas Vinterberg, Mogens Rukov Best Supporting Actor - Thomas Bo Larsen Best Supporting Actress - Birthe Neumann Rotterdam International Film Festival (1999): Audience Award - Thomas Vinterberg São Paulo International Film Festival (1998): Honorable Mention - Thomas Vinterberg Stage adaptations Festen has frequently been adapted for the stage. The English-language adaptation was written by David Eldridge. It premiered at the Almeida Theatre in 2004 in a production directed