43rd Annual Dance on Camera Festival

Taking place January 30 – February 3, the dance-centric film festival returns to the Film Society for the 19th consecutive year with a world-class array of narrative, documentary, and experimental features and shorts, including U.S. and New York premieres.

The festival honors ballet and contemporary dance personalities in film, while also demonstrating dance’s capacity to change lives. The festival opens with the U.S. Premiere of Girlchild Diary, which offers an intimate look at Meredith Monk, a daring composer, singer, filmmaker, choreographer, and director who this year is celebrating her 50th season of creating and performing work in New York. The festival closes with Richard Raymond’s searing Desert Dancer, a dramatic feature set against the 2009 riots against the Iranian regime, based on the true story of Afshin Ghaffarian, who dreamed of being a dancer despite a government ban and formed an underground dance group. The film stars Freida Pinto, Reece Ritchie, and Tom Cullen and is choreographed by Akram Khan, who created the opening ceremonies of the recent London Olympic Games.

“It’s a festival with lots of surprise elements,” said Joanna Ney, co-curator of Dance on Camera. “We’ve got unsung ballerinas, dance pioneers, and a crossover virtuoso. We’re also exploring new genres—cheerleading and girls’ hand-clapping games that have an empowering effect on young women. There’s definitely an accent on youth this year, as well as an appreciation for dance’s staying power.”

“It is the year of the narrative dance film, with two new titles featured in this edition—Desert Dancer and Fall to Rise—and a reprise of the great All That Jazz,” says Liz Wolff, co-curator for Dance on Camera. “For so long dance has had the power to tell a story that words cannot. Using dance to tell narratives about experiences and the meanings they have in people’s lives is proving a powerful tool in filmmaking.”

Buy Tickets and Packages Online at FilmLinc.com

Please note: Valid ID required for all discounts. Latecomers will be seated at the discretion of the management. Admission to the theater cannot be guaranteed once the screening has started. Tickets are subject to availability. Programs are subject to change.

Participate