Celebrating its silver 25th anniversary, LA’s own Dance Camera West Dance Film Festival returns to help rebuild spirit and community in our city. The five-day event begins on Wednesday, Jan. 29, at 3 p.m. and runs until Sunday, Feb. 2, at 5 p.m. This annual celebration of internationally created short and long movement-based films will screen primarily at the Barnsdall Gallery Theater in Hollywood, with a one-night-only excursion to the Philosophical Research Society on Saturday night.
The days are organized into blocks of showings labeled International Shorts A, B and C, Dance Map (Dense), LA Pops Up, Dance as a Cultural Language, Visibility, Doc Day Afternoon and the singular 3-D tribute to Pina Bausch by Wim Wenders. Also happening during the week is a five-day Co-Creation Lab, where interested filmmakers can work with and learn from guest mentors.
Of the 50 films that have been selected, several have been created by Angelenos. Alongside the global reach that DCW has developed, the local filmmakers include Ryan Heffington, Margot Gelber, Rebecah Goldstone, Mike Tyus, Nina McNeely, Sara Silkin, Vanedssa Beletic, Tony Testa, Wade Robson, Ryan Spencer, Keean Johnson, Sierra Fujita, Megan Paradowski, Colin Lupe and Keith Glassman.
LA Dance Project Director/Choreographer Benjamin Millepied opens the first night with his film that explores dance in Paris. This is followed over the week by curated shorts from India, Denmark, Iran, the UK, Sweden, France, China, Canada, Hong Kong, the Russian Federation, Slovenia, Finland and the United States. The Dance as a Cultural Language lineup travels even further to Fiji and Suriname.
The Visibility program highlights five California directors and pairs of directors who are the talented recipients of support from the California Arts Council. “VISIBILITY: SELF REFLECTIONS” is DCW’s signature production program designed to create films by and about underrepresented artistic and community voices.
Please note: In recognition of our recent and ongoing county-wide challenges, the Dance Camera West Board of Directors, sponsors and leaders have changed the admission policy to offer all of the activities with a Pay What You Can option.
—Benn Widdey, Culture Spot LA
LOCATION:
Barnsdall Gallery Theater, 4800 Hollywood Blvd., LA 90027
Philosophical Research Society, 3910 Los Feliz Blvd., LA 90027
TICKETS AND INFORMATION:
Pay What You Can
http://www.dancecamerawest.org
Photo credit: Still from “Purgatorio” by directors Stephanie Miracle, Auden Lincoln-Vogel, Philip Rabalais