2017 Festival Schedule

Fundraiser Kick-Off
SFDFF invites you to join us in celebrating ABT principal dancer Marcelo Gomes and the west-coast premiere of Anatomy of a Male Ballet Dancer

Enter the Faun: Screening & Workshop
SFDFF partners with UCSF/Reel Abilities & the Department of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Science to present the documentary film Enter the Faun

Opening Night: International Shorts I
The festival opens with a selection of dynamic international shorts, featuring an exciting new crop of films that push the art form forward.

2017 Filmmaker Forum
Filmmakers from around the world will be present for a discussion titled “Directing the Eye” about how skilled dance filmmakers guide the focus of the viewer

Discovering DV8's Nigel Charnock
UK filmmaker Graham Clayton-Chance presents, via Nigel Charnock’s personal archives, a journey through this influential artist’s life and daring works.

The Body As Archive
Documentary film by Michael Maurissens based on research that considers ways in which the dancer’s body can be regarded as archive.

Fire and Ashes, Making the Ballet RAkU
World premiere of Fire and Ashes, Making the Ballet RAkU. The film illuminates the collaboration of great contemporary masters at the zenith of their careers.

In Search of Lost Time
In this collection of personal narratives, filmmakers explore the ephemeral nature of memory, finding the quiet spaces between life’s pivotal events.

Rebels on Pointe
The first-ever cinema verité documentary that intimately follows Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, the all-male, drag ballet company founded in 1974.

After You're Gone
A renowned ballet dancer, played by Sergey Bezrukov, discovers that he will soon lose the ability to walk. Before this happens, he sets out to choreograph a final ballet and reconcile

Live Performance Captures
Variety Preview Room
SFDFF brings important new works from Europe to San Francisco for the first time. Includes work by Alexander Ekman, the Dutch National Ballet and Maurice Béjart.

Light
Dance, memory and music collide in a visual and aural landscape in this film about women propelled into the unknown who risk their lives and everything they have for freedom.

Documentary Shorts
Five documentary shorts in which people from around the world overcome obstacles, question social norms, and create new communities through dance.

Shorts II: Female Filmmakers
Shorts program dedicated to the work of female filmmakers. Features diverse films ranging from humorous to political, softly contemplative to highly athletic.

Shake the Dust
From executive producer and rapper Nasir “Nas” Jones, this documentary pays tribute to the art of breakdancing and its influence on young people around the world.

Virtual Reality Panel
Filmmakers from the VR Experience Room join a panel of industry and creative professionals to discuss challenges and opportunities in creating VR dance films.

Shorts III: Dancing the World
Ten films from ten countries bring dancers through urban streets, across architectural spaces, and deeper into their own physicality.

Closing Night: Local Shorts + CoLab Films + Festival Awards
The 2017 festival wraps with local shorts, premiere screenings of our two new Co-Laboratory films, and filmmaker awards.

Virtual Reality Experience Room
Immerse yourself in dance as you virtually step inside the frame with this exhibition of 360°/VR films.

Art/Experimental Films @ Catharine Clark Gallery
The Catharine Clark Gallery co-presents a program of visually playful and technologically experimental dance films that are well suited for a gallery experience.

Installation: Poetry of Motion
Installation of international films featuring poetic narratives, atmospheric moods, and cinematic visuals.