Festival to screens local, international dance films

A. Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The term "dance film" is confusing for laymen and even film buffs -- is it a documentary film about dance or a dance that has been filmed?

Jakartans can make up their own minds from dozens of dance films that will be screened in the DancEmotion -- Dance on Screen Festival at Gedung Kesenian Jakarta from Mar. 10 to Mar. 13.

The three-day festival consists of three programs: international screenings, a dance film competition and dance on screen forum.

Sixty-one films from 20 countries, including Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Japan, United States and Italy, will be shown as a part of the international screening programs.

The dance film competition will be open only to Indonesian dance films, in which 14 films will compete for the Best Dance Film, Best Choreography, Best Music Illustration and Viewer's Choice categories.

The judges for the competition are Rhoda Grauer from the U.S., Erin Brannigan from Australia and Naoto Iina from Japan.

The dance on screen forum is a round-table discussion that will be held on Mar. 10, featuring local and international dance filmmakers.

"The definition of a dance film may also be discussed in the forum," festival committee chairman Chendra Effendy said on Wednesday.

Chendra said the festival was the first in Indonesia and Southeast Asia, although that type of event was already popular in Japan, Hong Kong, the U.S. and some European countries.

Festival Schedule

March 10, 8 p.m to 11 p.m.:

Opening films:

- Tango Story (Italy)

- On Wing and Prayer (Australia)

- Mile "O" (Germany)

- See the Sky (Japan)

- Outside In (USA)

March 11, 1 p.m. to 10 p.m.:

- An Attitude of Waiting (Malaysia)

- Dongeng dari Dirah (A tale from Dirah) (Indonesia)

- Undress the Icon (Philippines)

- Blurry Screen (Israel)

March 12, 1 p.m. to 10 p.m.:

- Have you started dancing yet (UK)

- Street Car (Canada)

- Terra Incognita (Malaysia)

- Contre Temps (Philippines)

March 13, 1 p.m. to 11 p.m.:

- Burn (Germany)

- Jinx (The Netherlands)

- Exodus (Singapore)

Tickets will be available at Gedung Kesenian Jakarta, Jl. Pasar Baru, Central Jakarta.