Dogme 95

Dogme 95 (Danish for Dogma) was founded in 1995 by Danish directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg.
After several other Danish directors joined the avant-garde filmmaking movement it became Dogme 95 Collective / Dogme Brethren.
The movement eventually broke up in 2005.

Influences Realism, French New Wave
Influenced Mumblecore, New Puritans

Wikipedia:
The genre gained international appeal partly because of its accessibility. It sparked off an interest in unknown filmmakers by suggesting that one can make a recognised film without being dependent on commissions or huge Hollywood budgets, depending on European government subsidies and television stations instead. The movement has been criticised for being a disguised attempt to gain media attention. Dogme was initiated to cause a stir and to make filmmakers and audiences re-think the art, effect and essence of filmmaking.

The goal of the Dogme collective is to purify filmmaking by refusing expensive and spectacular special effects

Dogme 95: The Vow of Chastity (abridged):

I swear to the following set of rules drawn up and confirmed by Dogme 95:

1. Shooting must be done on location. Props and sets must not be brought in.
2. The sound must never be produced apart from the image or vice-versa.
3. The camera must be handheld. Any movement or mobility attainable in the hand is permitted.
4. The film must be in colour. Special lighting is not acceptable.
5. Optical work and filters are forbidden.
6. The film must not contain superficial action.
7. Temporal and geographical alienation are forbidden.
8. Genre movies are not acceptable.
9. The film format must be Academy 35mm.
10. The director must not be credited.

Furthermore I swear as a director to refrain from personal taste. I am no longer an artist. I swear to refrain from creating a 'work', as I regard the instant as more important than the whole. My supreme goal is to force the truth out of my characters and settings. I swear to do so by all the means available and at the cost of any good taste and any aesthetic considerations.

Links:
http://cinetext.philo.at/reports/dogme_ct.html
Spanish summary incl. movie examples
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMel0DQ8dAI&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Y9u-elHfOw&feature=related

Outcome:
- Set of rules to create a puristic movie with a consumable storyline
- No Effects
- Professional or trained actors
- Limitations create inspiration for improvisation