We’ve all been forced to adjust to a new normal as we address the current health crisis. Some things work smoothly, some do not. Some we like, others we just have to deal with. Work only online (save the fabulous essential workers) or not at all (fingers crossed). Friends, family, meetings only via cyberspace. Yeow!
But the restrictions have yielded some advantages too. For instance, the 2020 Dance Camera West Film Festival was made affordably available online. If interested, one can see or re-visit any and all of the films screened at REDCAT and at the Downtown Independent Cinema last January anytime within a two-week period. If you weren’t able to see anything, you have a new chance to see what was/is there.
The first of these weeks just ended, and we’re onto week two, which ends June 1. Given our domestic isolation, this writer found it to be a huge breath of fresh air. The films originate in 40 different nations and explore just about as many relationships between movement and media created for the screen. Some are abstract movement investigations approached through what only a camera could see. Some are narrative stories, with a classical beginning, middle and end. Some use words, some use music, some just sounds. Most are in color, some are only black and white. Creators dive into the technology or the imagery. Some make jokes, others are dramatically serious. There’s a brief synopsis available for each film, so you can decide if you do or don’t want to spend any time watching the selection. But remember, you can stop at any time and return to view whenever you choose (before June 1 ends).
This writer had a great time with this OVID.tv experience. Personal highlights include the documentaries “Three Dances,” about boys-to-men ballet training in Hungary; “Knee to Heart,” about the Spanish choreographer/dancer Sol Pico; the hour-long dance film “Her Magnum Opus”; the comical “Cinderella Games” and “Kopitoto”; and the surprising “Unspoken Spoken.” Kudos to the DCW curators for bringing a variety of good films to the fore.
—Benn Widdey, Culture Spot LA
LOCATION: https://vhx.ovid.tv/products/dance-camera-west
TICKETS: $12 https://vhx.ovid.tv/checkout/dance-camera-west/purchase
INFO: https://www.dancecamerawest.org/
TRAILER: https://vimeo.com/415221087