SFDFF Co-Presents AVIVA, a sexy, impressionistic, gender-fluid romance set in New York. Aviva is a dreamy film punctuated by exhuberent dance sequences choreographed by former member of Israeli dance company Batsheva Dance Company and co-star Bobbi Jene Smith. Director Boaz Yakin strikes an unusual balance with a story that is timeless and universal, yet entirely contemporary.
The character of Aviva, played by both Zina Zinchenko (and at times by Or Schraiber), is a young Parisian who develops an online romance with Eden, played by Tyler Phillips (and at times Bobbie Jene Smith), a New Yorker. After a long courtship they meet in person and fall in love, settling into an intimate relationship that leads to marriage, but one, as many are, laced with conflicts. Incorporating exuberant dance sequences, and featuring a pair of principal characters played by four different actors daringly expressing both masculine and feminine sides, “Aviva” captures a restless and changing today where who we are as women and men, and how we navigate the world, is up for grabs.
Aviva (USA, 2020) 116 minutes
Director: Boaz Yakin
Choreographer: Bobbi J. Smith & Or Schraiber.
Co-presented by SFDFF and Roxie Theater, Aviva is available for streaming starting Friday, June, 26
