Opening Night 2018
SFDFF invites you to join us for the World Premiere of Play Serious about Alexander Ekman’s trials and tribulations creating Play for the Paris Opera Ballet.

The Painting on the Wall
Plunge into the fantastical world of Chinese fairy tales as they serve as inspiration for award-winning choreographer Angelin Preljocaj’s Painting On The Wall.

Ghosts
Norwegian National Ballet’s production of Henrik Ibsen’s Ghosts, a play of a deep psychology that explores the question “how many lies can a person tolerate?”

Special Screening @ SF Public Library
In the intimate documentary, Perfectly Normal for Me, a group of kids from ages 5 to 15 reveal what it’s like to live with a variety of physical and developmental challenges.

Experimental / Catharine Clark Gallery
Catharine Clark Gallery co-presents five works that explore the rich intersection of dance, art, and film. With live performance by AnA Collaborations.

Spirit Labour / Catharine Clark Gallery
Catharine Clark Gallery co-presents the film Spirit Labour which follows performance artist Janine Antoni and her collaborations with Anna Halprin.

Shorts 1: Concentric Circles
A program of original choreographic works for the camera blending dance with image, music, text, animation and movement into poetry on screen.

Double Play
A double-feature event around the theme of creativity and play with the films BaseBallet: Into the Game and Creative: Alexander Ekman’s Study in Creativity

2018 Filmmaker Forum
In this two-part program, join filmmakers from around the world for an overview of music rights and a discussion titled “What’s The Score?” about the way music and sound design affect every aspect of filmmaking

Shorts 2: Ears Wide Open
Seven films with music at their center, weaving sounds from East and West, from jazz to electronic to pure human percussion.

La Chana
Award-winning film celebrates a self-taught flamenco dancer who rose to international stardom and then vanished from the public eye at the height of her career.

American Tap
In-depth documentary about a quintessentially American dance form—from its origins, to the historic and cultural events that shaped it.

Shorts 3: Into the Wild Blue Yonder
Travel to the farthest reaches of the world — from the frozen beauty of Antarctica to the deserts of Israel — with this collection of dynamic shorts.

Bournonville & Balanchine
Three films: Jewels at 50, Bournonville Today, and The Art Of Silence explore the legacy of George Balanchine and August Bournonville.

Moving Stories
Six dancers from the acclaimed Battery Dance Company travel the world, teaching the tools of choreography to young people who have experienced trauma.

Maurice Béjart, the Soul of Dance
Chronicles the unique destiny of this outstanding choreographer through rare archives and testimonies.

Shorts 4: Museums and Megamarts
From hip hop to ballet, martial arts to ice skating, follow dancers through unusual spaces as they find new ways to interact with the elements, and with each other.

Gravity Hero
Introspective documentary about the life and career of Trey McIntyre

Paul Taylor: Dancemaker
Special screening of the 1998 Academy award-winning film Dancemaker, in honor of Paul Taylor, the great American choreographer who died on August 29, 2018.

Kaori Ito: A Body of Life, Intimate portrait of dancer and choreographer Kaori Ito, the film revists her choreographies and her eclectic collaborations.

Shorts 5: Tell Me A Story
From mundane offices to the holy mountains of Tibet, voyage through four engaging stories about brotherly devotion, lost shoes, and overly ambitious employees.

Danseur
Danseur is a powerful look at the struggle facing male ballet dancers as they battle bullying and homophobia in pursuit of their dreams.

Raising Voices
This special program celebrates the work of under-represented artists to amplify their powerful messages of social activism and individual identity through the arts.

Closing Night: Local Shorts + CoLab Films + Festival Awards
The 2018 festival wraps with a showcase of shorts by Bay Area filmmakers, premiere screenings of our two new Co-Laboratory films, and the presentation of filmmaker awards.

The Great Ghosts Installation
Adapted from “The Mechanics of History,” this remarkable film is a live performance capture of an exhibition at the Pantheon. Running continuously.

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

Discofoot
Get your funk on! Discofoot is an ass kicking, DJ spinning, maybe even twerkin’ free styling battle, where soccer’s rules are twisted and thrashed by dance.

Dance Films from China
Program of ten contemporary dance films commissioned by the Chinese Dancers Association of Beijing, as part of their Young Artist Platform.

Silent Cinema Installation
Dive into a world of alternative approaches to dance filmmaking with this collection of short films that experiment with animation, technology, and cinematic illusion.