Film Festivals

Film Festivals - What’s new and different?
Dance Camera West Dance Film Festival - Los Angeles

The Dance Film Festival takes place annually in June and is a city-wide event across Los Angeles. Dance Camera West venues for the festival range from The Getty Center, REDCAT at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Hammer Museum, Skirball Center, and Track 16 at Bergamot Station to movie theaters like American Cinematheque's Egyptian and Aero and the Laemmle's, to outdoor locations like TreePeople in Coldwater Canyon Park.

For festival screening times, locations, tickets and more information on this year's film festival click here.

Film Festival
Dance Film Festival - Dance Camera West

DCW represents a truly unique cinematic experience. Contemporary Dance for Screen, Documentaries, Dance Installations, Dance Technology Symposiums, Panel Discussions and Workshops are all part of an expanding Dance Film Festival structure.

The Dance Camera West Dance Film Festival showcases many forms of dance including modern dance, post modern dance, world dance, tap dance, dance theater and practically all dance that has been captured on film in a way that is electrifying and exciting.

DCW's dance film festival presents a range of contemporary and classic to alternative dance films, and brings the talents of internationally recognized artists like Lloyd Newson/DV8, Thierry DeMey, Anne de Keersmaeker, Merce Cunningham, Paris Opera Ballet, Pilobolus, Maya Deren, Bill T. Jones, and Edouard Lock/La La La Human Steps as well as featuring local artists like Victoria Marks, Oguri, and Hassan Christopher.

The genre of Dance on Screen/Dance for Camera has expanded the possibilities of composition and structure by literally pushing the boundaries of dance - motion, rhythm, form and gravity, beyond what is presentable on stage.

Always interested in seeing everything that the world has to offer DCW accepts submissions throughout the year for it's festival and year round programming.

For submission form and instructions click here.

Film Festival
Dance Film Festival - Dance Camera West - Roots

Lynette Kessler and Kelly Hargraves DCW Co-Founders

Founded in 2002 by Lynette Kessler and Kelly Hargraves, the Dance Camera West Film Festival has established itself as a new and vital ingredient in LA's evolving cultural landscape.

Their vision is to provide Los Angeles with a showcase for the next generation of dance by combining traditional dance aesthetics with advanced cinematic technologies and by engaging the vast resources for film that Los Angeles has to offer.

Both have a Master's degree in Dance, backgrounds as producers and a dedication to this emerging new art form of Dance made for Screen. Together they produced the DVD, "Dance for Camera", available here.

Film Festival
Dance Camera West Film Festival - Bridging Communities

Dance Camera West has helped to make the Art of Dance more accessible to audiences throughout Los Angeles, bringing the Dance and Film communities closer together by bridging the gap between Hollywood Film, Contemporary Dance, Art Film and Dance Art.

Dance Camera West's Dance Film Festival offers the Dance Community a vibrant and supportive platform for the expression and evolution of film-making, exhibition and interaction for their collective vision.

Programs that take place at the City's leading cultural institutions as well as in parks and alternative spaces, let patrons experience dance in a way that transcends economic, cultural and language barriers.

Film Festival
Dance Camera West Film Festival - New Directions

Constantly growing in audience, prestige, and impact Dance Camera West has presented over 500 international dance films since its inception in 2002 and continues to be a leading voice for this innovative new genre of Dance Art Film. DCW has grown beyond an annual film festival with its distribution of dance films and educational components including workshops, panel discussions and contributions to relevant publications. DCW continues with its goal to be a catalyst for the making of new dance and film works locally and internationally and is committed to supporting artists.

Just as the Sundance Film Festival provides a vibrant and supportive platform for the expression and evolution of independent film-making, Dance Camera West's Dance Film Festival offers the Dance Community a similar structure of exhibition and interaction for their collective vision.

Programs that take place at the City's leading cultural institutions as well as in parks and alternative spaces, let patrons experience dance in a way that transcends economic, cultural and language barriers.

Future plans for DCW include hosting a center for research and development through an archive of dance films and materials. Future programming is expected to include a symposium in Dance Technology, workshops in production, and panel discussions of critical discourse on the subject of dance made for the screen as well as performative interactive work.

As the showcase for the next generation of dance, Dance Camera West is committed to keeping ticket prices affordable (often free events) and was named one of the most "affordable dance tickets" by the LA Times in 2004. Grover Dale of Answers for Dancers calls "The DCW film festival the best thing to happen to Los Angeles dance in 20 years." Dance Magazine voted DCW one of the "Top 20 to Watch" in January 2005.

For screening times and locations or to purchase tickets for this year's film festival click here.

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