27 July 2022 /
MANIFEST–International Dance-Film Festival 22
MANIFEST, a dedicated dance-film festival will be held in Pondicherry for three days from 29 July 2022. Films from more than 20 countries including Asian and Indian films will be shown by AuroApaar along with Narthaki, the organisers of the festival in Pondicherry.
The Manifest, the first annual International Dance-Film Festival aims to raise awareness on the new collaborative medium of story -telling interweaving the most popular art form dance and cinema.
The dance-film includes documentaries on dance, mainstream musicals, music videos or any form of experimental dance films excluding the recordings of dance performances, according to the organizers of the programme.
“The genre received a huge increase of interest during the pandemic when many dancers were looking for a way to continue their work amidst the shut down of proscenium spaces. There is a huge increase in the volume of dance-films being made around the world and a corresponding lack of platforms to view/exhibit them.
At a time of digital platforms, festivals are still the only way audiences can view non-commercial, artwork – stuff that Netflix won’t show. Dance-films are ‘off-grid’. The artists are usually self-funded and the production is small-scale. Screenings in festivals like Manifest are the only way that audiences can view this kind of work. These festivals support artists by giving them the opportunity to exhibit their work.”
Along with this festival, it is organising an Incubator of a dance film Project in which the participant will be guided to make short dance films from idea to screening stage including a two-week residency. Artistic and technical support will be provided in 5 stages till the final video output.
There will be discussions, Q&A sessions and online interactions with participants all over the world.
AuroApaar is a pioneering dance-film collective founded by Abhyuday Khaitan and Ashavari Majumdar in Pondicherry.
Abhyuday Khaitan, the co-founder and AuroApaar Program Head, Manifest Dance-Film Festival and Incubator is a filmmaker with more than two decades of experience across genres in both Indian and international productions. His documentary and short films have been shown in prestigious festivals and received many awards.
Ashavari Majumdar, AuroApaar Director explores more in the dance form Kathak and has scripted and directed award-winning short films. She is a St. Stephen’s College alumni and studied English literature (PhD). She has been supported by ICCR and SNA among others.
The Programme partners include Alliance Francaise Du , Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts, Radico, Narthaki and TASMAI, a Centre for Art and Culture, Pondicherry.
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Alliance Francaise de Pondicherry: 29 – 31 July / Cinema Paradiso Auroville : 30 July 2022
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