The second edition of “Manifest”, an international dance-film festival, unfolds in the city on Friday with a slate of international productions that reflect the exciting experimentation and refreshing aesthetic of a genre of storytelling that is rapidly entrenching as a form of art across the world.
Hosted by AuroApaar, a city-based dance-film collective, “Manifest’23” (July 28-30) will showcase more than 60 dance films from 22 countries over three days at the Alliance Francaise. These films were shortlisted from about 250 submissions from 50 countries.
The Manifest dance-film festival, which debuted in 2022, is the only annual international dance film festival in South Asia and only the third in Asia, outside of Japan and South Korea. In spite of being more of an initiation into an unfamiliar medium for potential patrons, the inaugural edition last year had garnered international attention with artists travelling from the US, EU and South Korea to participate in the festival, said Ashavari Majumdar, AuroApaar co-founder and co-curator of the festival.
This year’s ‘Manifest’, as part of offering a unique platform for Indian dance-film makers to present their work to a dedicated audience, has waived submission fees for Indian entries in an “Open Slot”.
A still from “Brave Steps” to be shown at the Manifest Internet Dance-Film Festival beginning on Friday.
All dance-films presented in person will get a screening.
The free-entry event will feature Indian premieres of award-winning international films, panel discussions, workshops and masterclass sessions to build critical awareness of the genre for aspirants, organisers said.
Dance-films represent an emerging genre that merges the languages of cinema and dance. The hallmarks of the dance film genre is that movement and rhythm, instead of spoken dialogue, thrusts the story forward.
The high points of the 2023 edition will be the India premiere of “Neon Phantom” (Brazil), winner of the Golden Leopard at the Locarno Film Festival, Switzerland, and the screenings of feted productions such as “A Way to B” (Netherlands) that had a world premiere at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam 2022 and was nominee for the IDFA award for best Dutch film and “Mother Melancholia” (Iceland).
A scene from “Mother Melancholia”.
In fact, a special screening of “A Way to B”, a film about differently-abled dancers, has been scheduled for the differently abled in the city.
The festival will also present three awards for the most inspiring films. The jury consists of national and international award-winning artists from across media.
A special feature is the Asian section, curated with the aim of nurturing a pan-Asian contemporary aesthetic. Thematically, the content offer explores a range of concepts from ecology and inclusivity to the mother-child relationship.
Live dance performances and hybrid cinema experiences by Indian and international artists are part of the festival package. The live performances lined up on closing night on Sunday will have feature contemporary flamenco by Naya Binghi and Kathak by Sugandhi Lamba.
