Zentropa was founded in 1992 as a result of the co-operation 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 employees and others closely associated with the company. The last 50 % was bought by Nordisk Film as of February 2008.

The Company differs from the major competitors in the market by having established a decentralised autonomous organisation structure which creates space for new ideas and alternative methods of productions. This company culture has drawn some of the best directors to Zentropa and shaped groundbreaking projects such as the ‘Dogma concept’ – an idea adopted by several directors all over the world.

Zentropa has produced more than 100 international and Scandinavian quality features, co-productions and low budget films. The increasing activities of Zentropa also include music videos, documentaries, television entertainment, and development of multimedia projects. Facilities for post production, sound design, in house rental of production equipment and international sales make Zentropa self providing in every aspect of filmmaking.

Films produced by Zentropa enjoy critical acclaim worldwide and have been rewarded with the most prestigious prizes the festival circuit has to offer, among these The Golden Palms, The Silver Bear and an Oscar for In a Better World directed by Susanne Bier.