Architecture of Hope- For the Ruins of the Present

At Olivet, some students don’t meander past the Dairy Queen near the stoplight..but those who make the trek to the Sims Building are creative minds who are bursting with ideas. Purpose Productions presents a film that leads you through a journey of inspiration, color, and heart. All you have to do is go off the beaten path.

Award Winning Documentary on the Life of Artist Robert Shields. “Robert Shields: My Life as a Robot” is a documentary that will make you believe that your actions can have an inspirational effect on so many lives - and you may not even be aware of it. An icon of the 70’s, Robert began his career doing his robot in front of the Hollywood Wax Museum and a few short years later had his own top rated Prime Time CBS Variety show with his beautiful wife Lorene called: “The Shields & Yarnell Show”. And along the way, unbeknownst to him, he created ripples that define an art form to this day. This film may not save the environment, it won’t take on a corrupt corporation nor will it make you write your congress person. What it will do is make you laugh, bring you wonder and joy and introduce you to a man who makes you believe that anything is possible… including (and don’t try this at home!) Street Skiing in downtown San Francisco!

Dance for All

The remarkable spirit of tap dancers and their history provides a joyous backdrop for intimate portraits of hoofers Sandman Sims, Chuck Green, and Bunny Briggs.

Follows the young people of Selma, Alabama's RATCo (Random Acts of Theatre Company) as they journey to New York City to share their story of hope, resilience, and overcoming.

Samba, Popping, and Jazz. Through these dance styles and documentary interviews, Bodies That Tell Stories seeks to discuss the standardization and whitening of dances that had their roots in Black people.

The portrait of an extraordinary French dancer-choreographer: Jean Babilée (1923-2014) is filmed at home, in the streets of Paris, at the Opera Garnier or at the Champs-Élysées Theater, “always caught, even in his kitchen, in full body work”.

Biocénose

Documentary capturing the rise of all-male dance company, BalletBoyz from first auditions to a performance in Addis Ababa City Hall, Ethiopia.

An analysis of the controversy over the participation of women in the Irun and Hondarribia festivity known as Alarde. It is divided into three parts: in the first part, the history, structure, and characteristics of the Alarde are explained; in the second part, the beginning of the conflict and its development in the 1990s; and in the third part, the present situation, reflecting on the present and future of the festival.

An immersive look at São Paulo Dance Company

This Christmas, step into the magical world of The Nutcracker. For the first time in many years, the Royal Ballet has given full access behind the scenes for a landmark 90-minute documentary as they prepare for this season's yuletide production.

Jaw-dropping acrobatics for royal visitors.

Four young girls prepare for a special Daddy Daughter Dance with their incarcerated fathers, as part of a unique fatherhood program in a Washington, D.C., jail.

Bon Odori dives into the world of karaoke and the ways this Japanese tradition has taken root and evolved in Brazil. Through an event that brings together young Japanese-Brazilian descendants and participants with no prior connection to Japanese culture, the documentary reveals encounters, memories, and exchanges across generations. Amid touching stories, striking voices, and charismatic personalities, the film crafts a sensitive portrait of belonging, respect, and cultural preservation—celebrating the power of the connections that emerge when differences are embraced.

At age 20, Guillaume Diop risked his career to sign a manifesto against racism at the Paris Opera. But just three years later, he was named a Danseur Étoile — a star dancer — in the Paris Opera Ballet, one of the world’s most prestigious companies. As the first Black Danseur Étoile, Guillaume is thrust into becoming a role model and a national symbol for diversity. But, as YOUNG, BLACK AND GIFTED shows us, in intimate conversations with family and friends, he sometimes questions whether he is ready for this responsibility.

"Encouraged by a special encounter between myself and an animal, my research into the “humanimal” began. This is a performative exploration reflecting on the place of animals and humans in their changing relationships throughout time. The research spans from topics like the cohabitation of different human species, the prehuman, the posthuman, to domestication and the numerous animal watching webcams found in zoos and online. Missing Link reflects on the intimacy between the species and how it can be expressed through movement here and now. "

A group of young men waltz in pairs, balancing with a glass between their foreheads. In this captivating setting, director Albert Rask crafts a new code of conduct - an allegory reflecting the experience of growing up. A playful yet poignant exploration that reframes the burdens of responsibility, expectations and the rules of adulthood.

A documentary about the rehearsal of a theater production of Ingmar Bergman's "Fanny and Alexander" in 2012, in Stockholm, Sweden.

Documentary about the dancer Sol Picó. From the dancer under the spotlight to her reality behind the scenes, the documentary approaches Sol Pico’s daily life at a crucial moment in her career after winning the National Dance Award. Also it goes across Sol Picó’s artistic career, from the beginning of her performance, to the street theatre and, finally, her artistic consolidation and the creation of her own company. Her work is characterized by showing a strong and brave woman but who is not afraid of showing her weaknesses without taboos. The project also brings the artist’s more personal side closer: the difficulties of growing up as a dancer, the difficulties of creation and how to face her career after turning 50.