– OPENING FILM, EADWEARD, ACKNOWLEDGES KINGSTON-BORN MUYBRIDGE
– GENE KELLY RETROSPECTIVE WITH CLASSIC DANCE FILMS FROM ACROSS THE DECADES
– DANCESCREEN FILM COMPETITION WITH CLOSING NIGHT AWARD CEREMONY
– LIVE PERFORMANCES FROM BALLETBOYZ AND CABINET OF LIVING CINEMA
– INDUSTRY TALKS WITH LEADING FILMMAKERS, BROADCASTERS AND CHOREOGRAPHERS
– MASTERCLASS FROM PERFORMANCE ARTIST OREET ASHERY
– BIG DANCE BUS LEADS COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES FOR ALL THE FAMILY
FRAME The London Dance Film Festival has announced its full programme of films and events that take place 9th to 12th June 2016 in Kingston-upon-Thames. Presented by UK’s pioneering dance company BalletBoyz in association with dancescreen, this inaugural festival offers a unique opportunity to enjoy the best creative talent in dance and film, as well engaging broadcasters, video artists and choreographers. Over the three days, there are over 122 films screening with 11 World Premieres, 8 International, 4 European and 28 UK Premieres amongst the new work presented alongside classic films for all ages led by a celebration of Gene Kelly, dance performances and community activities at various venues across the town.
FRAME Dance Film Festival receives local public support from Kingston First. Ros Morgan, Chief Executive of Kingston First says “Kingston First are delighted to be able to support not only a locally grown talent incubator but also have the opportunity to bring something unique and cultural to the streets of Kingston. The festival programme is really exciting and we’re looking forward to the welcoming new visitors to the town”.
FRAME will pay tribute to the Golden Age of Hollywood with a celebration of one of its greatest dance stars, Gene Kelly. One of the all-time best musicals SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN (1952) is screened alongside the rarely seen INVITATION TO THE DANCE (1956), which features Kelly in three stories, all told without words, performing three very different dance routines, and THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT! (1974), a joyous compilation of memorable moments from MGM musicals featuring Kelly, Fred Astaire, Liza Minnelli and Mickey Rooney amongst many others.
Hollywood’s musical past continues with Lloyd Bacon’s 1933 Oscar-nominated version of 42nd STREET starring Warner Baxter, Bebe Daniels and Ruby Keeler that features choreography from the legendary Busby Berkeley. As a special 90th birthday celebration of Her Majesty the Queen, is shown Stanley Donen’s ROYAL WEDDING (1951) bringing together Fred Astaire and Jane Powell in this lively MGM musical about two American performers heading to Britain at the time of the royal wedding.
Kingston is not only the base for BalletBoyz but was also the home of Eadweard Muybridge, the pioneering photographer. It is therefore highly appropriate that the festival’s opening night film is Kyle Rideout’s EADWEARD (2015), the evocative psychological drama about Muybridge, starring Michael Eklund (Watchmen, The Call, TV’s Bates Motel), Sara Canning (The Vampire Diaries), Christopher Heyerdahl (True Blood, Gotham, Hell on Wheels), Charlie Carrick (TV’s The Borgias) and Torrance Combs (TV’s Reign, The Tudors).
The contribution of British filmmaking to musicals over the last 40 years is provided by Alan Parker’s Oscar-winning FAME (1980), starring Irene Cara, alongside Max Giwa and Dania Pasquini’s STREETDANCE (2010), the UK’s box office smash which energetically brings ballet and street dance together, as well as featuring Britain’s Got Talent winner, the dance troupe Diversity; and DESERT DANCER (2014), Richard Raymond’s recent biopic of Iranian dancer Afshin Ghaffarian, starring Reece Ritchie and Freida Pinto.
Families can tap dance amongst the penguins in George Miller’s HAPPY FEET (2006) and BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (1991) invite us all to be their guests in this perennially popular Disney favourite.
Performance features are represented by SEA WITHOUT SHORE (2015), André Semenza and Fernanda Lippi’s haunting tale of a woman who is drawn into the depths of her subconscious in search of her vanquished female lover; and Emelie Mahdavian’s AFTER THE CURTAIN (2015), where four female dancers battle cultural norms and face increasing disfavour in the post-Soviet era.
All screenings take place at Rose Theatre, Odeon Cinema, Benthall’s Store and Wow Cafe.
FRAME Festival also includes talks and panel discussions with leading international experts from both dance and film and at the heart of the festival is the prestigious dancescreen competition, administered by IMZ International Music + Media Centre in Austria, with all the shortlisted features and short films being screened. The shortlisted films have been selected from hundreds of submissions with ten UK filmmakers competing alongside European filmmakers from France, Spain, the Netherlands, Norway, Ireland, Germany and Hungary, as well as countries such as USA, Chile, Canada, Australia and China. The winners are chosen by an international selection panel of experts from film, broadcast and dance.
The dancescreen competition winners are announced at the closing night award ceremony on Sunday 12 June which is followed by a special live performance by BalletBoyz featuring audience favourites from their repertoire including FICTION by Javier de Frutos from their latest show LIFE.
Tickets are now on sale from: Rose Theatre, 24-26 High St, Kingston Upon Thames, London KT1 1HL www.rosetheatrekingston.
Odeon Cinema, Clarence St, Kingston Upon Thames box office: 0871 2244007 www.odeon.co.uk/cinemas/
For further Festival information: info@framefilmfestival.com www.framefilmfestival.com
Twitter: @framefilmfest Facebook: #FRAMETheLondonDanceFilmFestival
