The first edition of “Bucharest International Dance Film Festival” (November 6 – 8) has prepared a diverse program to the audience, destined to promote cinema productions dedicated to dance and the art of choreography. 64 productions out of 27 countries are included in the Official Competition, moreover, there are long and short documentaries, a selection of the most appreciated dance films of “Pool International Dance Film Festival” in Berlin, as well as a creation workshop dedicated to dance enthusiasts. The screenings will take place at Union Cinematheque.
Bucharest International Dance Film Festival (BIDFF) starts on Friday, November 6, at 8 PM, with the documentary “Sacres”. Based on the opera “The Rite of Spring” by Igor Stravinsky, the French production directed by Etienne Aussel and Valerie Gabail explores the territories of rituals and collects perspectives by five contemporary choreographers (Jean-Claude Gallotta, Angelin Preljocaj, Sasha Waltz, David Wampach and Olivier Dubois). The documentary follows dancers in exploring primitive images that fuel their creativity, such as their manner of building the theme of the Rite. “Sacres” is a fictional and fantastic reflection at the border of a ritual and its representations.
The Official Competition includes 54 productions from 23 countries and is scheduled on Saturday, November 7. Short films selected by choreographer Simona Deaconescu were structured in three sections.
Action and [RE]action is a collection of films in which the movement of the body and of the camera are combined to present stories about lost memories, moral values and sexuality. Mix Media is a collage of stories that orbit around experiment and syncretism: animations, drawings, fashion, technology. The last series of short films, [in] the body and [out] side of the body – explore the concept of space, defined as the place we live in, a place of virtual encounter, a metaphor or a psychological trigger. The official selection starts on Saturday, November 7, at 2 pm, at Cinematheque Union.
The schedule of November 8 is dedicated to the overview of “Pool International Dance Film Festival” in Berlin, as well as to the three short documentaries (Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Backward Glace and Living Room Dances*Kitchen Stories).
The Award Gala of Bucharest International Dance Film Festival (BIDFF) will be held on Sunday, November 8, starting at 7:30 PM and is followed by the screening of the long documentary “Behind the Scenes (Fragile)” signed by choreographers Cosmin Manolescu and Tatiana Cucureanu.
In the days before Bucharest International Dance Film Festival (BIDFF), a laboratory of creation will be held by jury member Jevan Chowdhury. Moving Cities – Workshop Dance Film will take place at the Grand Hall of the Romanian Cultural Institute (38 Alexandru Alley) on November 5 (during 7 – 10 PM) and November 6 (during 10 AM – 1 PM). The twenty attendands who subscribed to the workshop will be provided a chance to interact in a small group and discover the startling way ideas, emotions and stories in movement can be explored, both technically and conceptually. Jevan Chowdhury will suggest various approaches in creating a dance film: in a structured or an improvised manner.
During the workshop, there will be practical sessions mixed with theoretical information, unusual details about what is required when producing a dance film, as well as manners to present and promote choreography projects in events of this genre.
Jevan Chowdhury has 15 years of experience in management and advertising creation and he is a member of the Visiting Arts management board, an organization that facilitates international relations between artists and professionals in culture and the artistic director of Moving Cities, a film project that encompasses by dancing the vibrations of various cities in the world. His projects were presented in publications such as LensCulture and Yatzer, acknowledged and nominated at various awards in festivals from Sweden, Spain, the United States of America and Great Britain.
