Showcase of the best FILMS in the world today.
Audience Award Winners:
Best Film: ALWAYS PRESENT
Best Dance Film: LONG LOOKING
Best Cinematography: THE GAME
Best Sound & Music: KNOCK
Best Performances: THE BURNING HALLUCINATIONS OF MARY GRACE MCNALLY
Best Art Film: (UN) SEEN
Best Music Video: LAYERS
Best Direction: PROVENANCE: A LETTER TO MY DAUGHTER
Best Drama Film: ORAN NA H-EALA
Watch the Audience Feedback Video for each film:
KNOCK, 6min., Canada, Dance
Directed by Arrthami Siva-Kuruvinth, Kajanth Harendran, Neromie Sriragurajah
We are in this body with a mind that runs wild with thoughts, feelings, illusions and desires. What sets us apart from other beings is that as humans, we have an intellect. A faculty that allows us to think critically and know right from wrong, real from unreal, truth from untruth. How can we awaken that intellect?
WATCH HERE – The audience feedback video of the film!
THE BURNING HALLUCINATIONS OF MARY GRACE MCNALLY, 3min,. USA, Dance
Directed by Sam Mandich
“The Burning Hallucinations of Mary Grace McNally” explores the emotional state of loneliness, isolation, and comparison leading to burnout. We are constantly observing others, whether this be on social media, in our workplace, or simply outside our own windows. The competitive nature of these behaviors ultimately leave us feeling even more alone. Comparison becomes an involuntary habit. Among our peers this can be especially sensitive, because oftentimes we are looking for similar versions of success. Along this journey amongst our peers, we fall victim to losing sight of who we are. The yearning to escape these patterns is reflected in the choreography while the photographic direction mimics these concepts stylistically through guided improvisational contemporary dance, location, and styling.
WATCH HERE – The audience feedback video of the film!
THE GAME, 5min., USA, Dance
Directed by James Kinney, Pierre Marais
Paying homage to classic film noir cinema, The Game brings together an unlikely cast of characters in a midnight game of cat and mouse. Set in a mysterious abandoned warehouse and told through a hybrid of jazz dance styles, alliances are forged, suspicions are raised, and from within the shadows, a player will ultimately take the prize.
WATCH HERE – The audience feedback video of the film!
LAYERS, 8min., USA, Dance
Directed by Rose Sutton
Feelings of not belonging, isolation and displacement are unfortunate foundations of the Black experience. “Layers” is a retelling of that story through dance. Our main dancer has lost their spirit, feeling unsure of themselves and their identity in the new world they’ve entered. When we meet them, they are on the run and are lost. They appear small despite the vastness of the open space they are in because they have not fully realized how to utilize the resources around them. They are scared of the newfound because they do not know what the land is; who it is for.
WATCH HERE – The audience feedback video of the film!
PROVENANCE: A LETTER TO MY DAUGHTER, 9min., Dance
Directed by Li Chiao-Ping
A short dance film about a transnational adoptee’s personal experiences struggling with identity, belonging, and inclusion growing up in the Midwest of America. Directed and choreographed by Li Chiao-Ping, dancer Elisabeth Roskopf’s exquisite movement and personal story reclaiming her heritage are captured beautifully by cinematographer and editor Christal Wagner.
WATCH HERE – The audience feedback video of the film!
(UN) SEEN, 7min., India, Dance
Directed by Anjana Ghonasgi, Pratik Iyer
‘Tethered between her own worlds of captivity and escapism, Maya finds herself.’
Our relationship with time will remain an unsolved mystery. Some days it is moving too fast, on some other days too slow but on most days it is passing by like clockwork. And TIME is the most manipulative when spent alone.
WATCH HERE – The audience feedback video of the film!
ORAN NA H-EALA, 13min., UK, Dance
Directed by Steve Exeter
A vivid dream exploration of Moira Shearer’s heart and mind, just before and after she agreed to star in Powell and Pressburger’s beloved cinema classic “The Red Shoes”, a decision that would change her life forever.
WATCH HERE – The audience feedback video of the film!
ALWAYS PRESENT, 30min., USA, Musical Dance
Directed by Philip G. Anderson
An artist explores their relationship with fear in the creative process.
WATCH HERE – The audience feedback video of the film!
LONG LOOKING, 9min., USA, Dance
Directed by Carrie Richer
A young woman perched in a lookout tower shifts between states of isolation and solitude. Inspired by historical records of Montana’s fire lookout towers, this portrait uses movement to explore time’s passage.
WATCH HERE – The audience feedback video of the film!
Experimental Film & Music Video Festival 