Somber Tides

Dance Revolutionaries is a captivating exploration of raw emotion through dance set in stunning locations, showcasing Portraits – five solo dances, and an innovative production of the rarely-seen ballet, Sea of Troubles.

Following fateful scientific reports, protestors pose the argument for a better future against the vested interest of industry. Small to large, individual to collective, where do I fit into this?

When best friends Benji (Peter Carroll) and Ruben (Nick Trivisonno) decide to make a film about the man on the moon, they don’t realize they’re signing up for the end of the world as they know it. But when a love triangle develops on set and the lines between reality and fantasy start to blur, the boys must reckon with their developing feelings for each other or face an uncertain future. Produced by and starring high school students from Interlochen Arts Academy in Interlochen, Michigan, HOW THE MOON FELL FROM THE SKY AND NO ONE EVEN NOTICED is a testament to the power of young artists who work together to achieve what no one thought possible.

In County Durham, England, 1984, a talented young dancer, Billy Elliot, stumbles out of the boxing ring and onto the ballet floor. He faces many trials and triumphs as he strives to conquer his family’s set ways, inner conflict, and standing on his toes in a musical that questions masculinity, gender norms and conformity.

Witnessing the disparities and conflicts among a group of young adults, a clear-sighted 10-year-old boy triggers a series of musical, choreographic and culinary conversations. Drawing on the languages of music, narrative, dance and cinema, Beat explores the challenges of bringing together a diverse group of individuals without quashing their differences.

An Austrian director followed five successful African music and dance artists with his camera and followed their lives for a year. The artists, from villages in Ghana, Gambia and Congo, were the subjects of Africa! Africa! touring across Europe, but they have unbreakable roots to their homeland and their families. Schmiderer lovingly portrays his heroes, who tell their stories about themselves, their art and what it means to them to be African with captivating honesty. The interviews are interwoven with dance scenes and colourful vignettes set to authentic music.

Darta, a man from an impoverished family, is rejected by the wealthy parents of the woman he loves. Desperate, he strikes a bargain with the Monkey King, performing a dark ritual to gain wealth. However, in doing so, he accidentally curses his wife and child to a life of suffering. Rooted in Indonesian mysticism, this universal narrative explores the insatiable hunger to become something one is not and the boundaries one is willing to cross to achieve it.

A young girl leaves her Nigerian village to attend a ballet school in England. Fascinated by Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, she dreams of performing as lead ballerina Princess Odette, but the girls in her close-minded ballet school mock her ideas of a 'black swan'.

Overwhelmed by her suffocating schedule, touring European princess Ann takes off for a night while in Rome. When a sedative she took from her doctor kicks in, however, she falls asleep on a park bench and is found by an American reporter, Joe Bradley, who takes her back to his apartment for safety. At work the next morning, Joe finds out Ann's regal identity and bets his editor he can get exclusive interview with her, but romance soon gets in the way.

Alex Owens, a young woman juggling between two odd jobs, aspires to become a successful ballet dancer. Nick, who is her boss and lover, supports and encourages her to fulfil her dream.

"A country without artists is a dead country... I hope we are alive..." It is in this film by Fawzi Sahraoui produced by the RTA in 1985 and filmed a few months before the painter M'hamed Issiakhem 'turns off this sentence is spoken. A very interesting docu-fiction in which Issiakhem delivers himself with finesse, passion and generosity.

Twenty-year-old Elya is a student and a future ecologist. One day, Matvey, the head of a construction company, comes to her university to talk about a development plan on the site of an old forest park. Elya does not hesitate to smash his project to smithereens. Matvey is intrigued by the girl's self-confidence and uses his usual methods of influence - he simply tries to "buy" her. But Elya doesn't need a sponsor. Then Matvey, surprised by her impregnability, offers Elya a bet: seven romantic days according to his rules. If after that the girl still decides to leave, he will refuse to build a skyscraper in the forest park. She agrees when Matvey really suspends the design work. Elya sees herself as something like the heroine of the film Pretty Woman, but Matvey turns out to be not at all the person she imagined.

A predominantly non-verbal drama series exploring the interconnections of a group of young BIPOC creatives in London.

Released on DVD as part of The Criterion Collection's "Martha Graham: Dance on Film" collection.

Isolated bell-ringer Quasimodo wishes to leave Notre Dame tower against the wishes of Judge Claude Frollo, his stern guardian and Paris' strait-laced Minister of Justice. His first venture to the outside world finds him Esmeralda, a kind-hearted and fearless Romani woman who openly stands up to Frollo's tyranny.

A group of 12 teenagers from various backgrounds enroll at the American Ballet Academy in New York to make it as ballet dancers and each one deals with the problems and stress of training and getting ahead in the world of dance.

An uptight English writer traveling to Crete on a matter of business finds his life changed forever when he meets the gregarious Alexis Zorba.

In pre-revolution Cuba, Katey Miller is about to defy everyone's expectations. Instead of a parent-approved suitor, Katey is drawn to the sexy waiter, Javier, who spends his nights dancing in Havana's nightclubs. As she secretly learns to dance with Javier, she learns the meanings of love, sensuality and independence.

A unique hybrid of documentary, silent film, drama and dance, 'Breaking Plates' puts revolutionary women of the past on the screen with present day filmmakers. Contemporary women talk to characters from 100 years ago, reanimate their antics and emulate their mayhem moves. As early 21st century performers step into the clothes of their early 20th century counterparts, battling their haywire machines, exploding gags, and eruptive bodies, they learn to wield humour as a weapon against the structures that contain them today.

Delinquent Tyler Gage receives the opportunity of a lifetime after vandalizing a performing arts school, gaining him the chance to earn a scholarship and dance with up-and-coming dancer Nora.