Sans Souci Festival of Dance Cinema, SansSouciFest.org
Sans Souci at Martha's Vineyard Film Center
Virtual Dance Film Screening: Beginning Oct 23
SSF is proud to be co-presenting our first ever dance film event in collaboration with Martha's Vineyard Film Society.

We'll offer a limited seating in-person screening at the Martha's Vineyard Film Center, a virtual screening on Eventive, plus special access to a bonus video: The Yard's Executive Director, Chloe Jones, interviews filmmaker Francesca Penzani and performers Kyreeana Alexander and Nedra Wheeler of "Double Up."

Virtual Screening Tickets:

$12 general admission
Purchase tickets here.
In-theater tickets are available through MVFCS.

The virtual screening is available for streaming now, and will be available for a 2 week window, closing November 6. During that time, once you've made a purchase, you'll have a week to watch the screening, and once you start watching, you'll have 48 hours to finish.

This is a deliberately empty heading to satisfy the HTML5 validator.

Frame from Nela

Nela, 2018, United Kingdom, 3 min

Produced and Directed by Andrew Margetson
Choreography by Will Tucket
Featuring The Royal Ballet
Dancing by Marianela Nuñez
Music Composed by Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse
Music Performed by Nina Simone
Cinematography by Federico Alfonzo
Edited by David Webb
A strikingly intimate study of the great classical ballerina Marianela Nuñez as she dances to Nina Simone, choreographed by Will Tuckett.
Frame from Pilgrimage

Pilgrimage, 2017, Canada, 11 min

Directed by Marlene Millar
Produced by Sandy Silva
Choreography by Sandy Silva
Featuring Migration Dance Film Project/ sandysilvadance
Dancing by Andrew Bathory, Sonia Clarke, David Cronkite, Dominic Desrochers, Afia Douglas, Hélène Lemay, Kimberly Robin, Sandy Silva, Bobby Thompson
Music Composed by Sandy Silva, Timucin Gurer
Music Performed by all performers
Cinematography by Geoffroy Beauchemin
Edited by Jules De Niverville
Nine dancers and singers travel across open farmlands, parched roads, and moonlit fields to find refuge in an abandoned place of worship. Through a complex series of Turkish usul patterns designed to ignite emotional states of journey and light, the group finds connection within their company and solace in the sheltered space.
Frame from TWINS "You must be related!"

TWINS "You must be related!", 2018, United States, 4 min

Directed by Varya Rootwood
Produced by Varya Rootwood, Yura Makarov
Choreography by India Gonzales, Ananda Gonzales
Featuring independant
Dancing by India Gonzales, Ananada Gonzales
Music by Patric Gregg
Filmmaker: Yura Makarov
Two dancers explore public perceptions of twins and their internal struggle of sisterhood.

Double Up, 2017, United States, 15 min

Directed by Francesca N. Penzani
Produced by Francesca N. Penzani, Emily Drossner
Choreography by Francesca N. Penzani
Dancing by Kyreeana Alexander
Music by Nedra Wheeler
Cinematography by Vincent Wrenn, Aaron Marquette
Edited by Francesca N. Penzani
"My heart’s beating inside myself, inside yourself, the heart of the earth. I am here are you? Can you see me? Can you hear me?" Based on a dream to bring two women together to create a collaboration that celebrated the joy of being alive, “Double Up” is a powerful conversation, through music and dance: Nedra Wheeler on bass and voice, and tap dancer Kyreeana Breelin.
Frame from Molat & Molat

Molat & Molat, 2015, USA, 6 min

Produced and Directed by Kate Duhamel
Choreography and Dancing by Pascal Molat
Featuring San Francisco Ballet
Music by Ben Joudvalkis
Cinematography by Jesse Dana
Edited by Clayton Worfolk, Kate Duhamel
Narrator by Matisse Molat
The story of Pascal Molat dancing, as told by Matisse Molat, age 5.
Frame from Men

Men, 2020, Finland, 4 min

Directed by Hanna Brotherus
Choreography by Hanna Brotherus
Featuring Hanna Brotherus Company
Music Composed by Johannes Brotherus
Cinematography by Ari Virem
A group of men from different backgrounds between the ages of 12 and 85 feel the power and intimacy of touch. What does it mean to be a man and to connect with other men?
Frame from AMA

AMA, 2018, France, 7 min

Directed by Julie Gautier
Produced by Spark Seeker, Les Films Engloutis
Choreography by Ophélie Longuet
Dancing by Julie Gautier
Music Composed by Ezio Bosso
Cinematography by Jacques Ballard
Edited by Jérôme Lozano
The rain falls like so many tears on a young woman dressed in a little black dress. We dive into her eyes as we dive into her soul drowned by sorrow. At the bottom of the water, the woman, lying on the floor, gently up and begins to dance.
Frame from Separate Sentences

Separate Sentences, 2016, United States, 15 min

Produced and Directed by Amie Dowling, Austin Forbord
Choreography by Amie Dowling
Music Composed by Albert Mathias
Music Performed by Albert Mathais
Cinematography by Heath Orchard
Edited by Austin Forbord
Incarceration is not a single or discrete event, but a dynamic process that unfolds over time and affects families for generations. This dance/theater film draws upon individual experiences and physical memories of a cast comprised of Bay Area artists– some of whom are fathers or sons who have experienced incarceration. See below for a special note from the directors.
Frame from 컨트롤/Control

컨트롤/Control, 2019, Korea, Republic of, 4 min

Directed by 곽새미/Saemi Kwak
Choreography by Yeom Jeongyeon
Featuring K'arts
Dancing by Yeom Jeongyeon, Im Yujeong
Music by Sin Yejun
Cinematography by Jeong Yonghyeon
To dance. To control another self-image of being lonely and vulnerable. But such a figure also comes to accept itself. To control oneself from time to time by dancing. Because human beings have this sense of solitude. And even this, I feel, is beautiful. Some of the things we're most attracted to are us.
Frame from Targeted Advertising

Targeted Advertising, 2015, USA, 4 min

Produced and Directed by Mitchell Rose
Choreography by Susan Hadley
Dancing by Josh Hines + 80 dancers
Music Composed by William Goodrum
Cinematography by Perfect Perspectives Aerial Imaging
Edited by Mitchell Rose
A dark-comedy sci-fi drone film glimpsing a future when flying spambots chase a fleeing populace.
Frame from InterState

InterState, 2018, United States, 6 min

Directed by Ilana Goldman , Gabriel Williams
Choreography and Dancing by Ilana Goldman
Featuring N/A
Music Composed by Patrick McKinney
Music Performed by Patrick McKinney and Greg Sauer
Cinematography by Gabriel Williams
Edited by Ilana Goldman
This short dance film features a mysterious and ambiguous masked figure embodying both animalistic and human characteristics as it travels across the country in search of home and self. InterState is an investigation of identity, migration, and displacement, set against the backdrop of America’s most dramatic and dynamic landscapes. From Seattle and St. Louis to Mt. Rushmore and variously magnificent national parks, InterState explores the connection (or lack thereof) between living organisms and habitat, at every turn questioning the idea of a “natural environment.” What do we carry with us when we move—literally? Each new location, each new scene provides an opportunity for the soloist to unearth a symbiotic way of moving in relation to the environment while simultaneously maintaining a sense of self, physically holding onto idiosyncrasies regardless of place, space, or time. By the film’s end, the audience is caught up in the soloist’s journey, bound to the rhythmic sense of timing created as the singular body carved space—and identity—in each terrain it inhabited.
A special note from the directors of "Separate Sentences"

Thank you for watching "Separate Sentences." We made the film in 2016, to shine a light on what we consider one of the most important social issues of our day - the systematic imprisonment of people of color and the implication and disaster it has wrought in minoritized communities. On many levels, the film has succeeded within our original notion of artistic intervention. It has allowed us to create dialogue, educate and illuminate the issue, served as a tool for social justice on macro & micro levels. It has created community between individuals, conversation and interaction.

However, our conversations have turned from the issue itself to questions concerning equity, representation, and agency. Who possess the right to make these films, tell these stories and share them with the world? Who is the producer, editor, DP, director or choreographer? The phrase "Nothing About Us Without Us" has developed into an important critique of art and literature that revolves around issues most significant to communities of color. It is within this context that we, two white artists, grapple with the implications of our own engagement.

There is a pattern of white supremacy in funding work about marginalized communities - white artists in collaboration with black and brown communities receiving grants to craft stories about black and brown communities. If we are aiming to cause an intervention into racial issues, the people most directly impacted, and organizations founded and directed by those individuals, such as Prison Renaissance, and First Watch, need to be at the center of the artistic process, making the decisions and receiving the funding.

From Amie Dowling & Austin Forbord
Copyright 2004-2024 Sans Souci Festival of Dance Cinema • email us