The Dance On Camera Festival Announces Line-Up For 2023 Festival

Dance Films Association (DFA) and Film at Lincoln Center (FLC) present the 51st edition of the Dance on Camera Festival from February 10 to 13, 2023. The four-day festival features 13 programs with a total of 30 new films selected from over 290 submissions representing 35 countries. Dance on Camera, the longest-running dance film festival in the world, takes place at Film at Lincoln Center. The festival is programmed by the Dance Films Association.

"This year's Dance on Camera Festival showcases a rich international collection of films that offer insightful profiles of visionary artists and stories that touch the heart," said co-curator Michael Trusnovec. "One of the great initiatives that this festival helps fund is DFA Labs, whose mission is to advise dance filmmakers from around the world and support them in their creative pursuits. We look forward to introducing and welcoming back artists who have been cultivated through the DFA Labs and other Dance on Camera education programs, and to sharing this diverse lineup with New York audiences."

The festival opens with the New York premiere of Leslie Shampaine and Pip Gilmour's Call Me Dancer. Executive produced by critically acclaimed singer, songwriter, and record producer Jay Sean, the film's true-life story follows a young, talented dancer from the streets of Mumbai to the stages of New York. Excerpts of the film were presented in 2022 during the Dance on Camera Festival's 50th anniversary celebration as part of the DFA Labs Work in Progress programming. "It is an honor to return to the Dance on Camera Festival and immensely gratifying to show our completed film as the opening feature presentation for this inspiring festival," said Shampaine. "It is even more special knowing that our work was supported by DFA Labs and is associated with a festival dedicated to supporting artists of the future," added Gilmour.

The series of short and feature-length narrative and documentary films explores geographies, identities, histories, and global cultural issues through the evolving and expanding parameters of dance on film. Films such as Manas Sirakanyan's documentary feature Top Nine: A Story of the B-Boy Crew, about an internationally renowned break dance crew, and Swedish filmmaker Emil Dam Seidel's short film SHE, about the exploration of identity, highlight issues and perspectives from diverse regions.

Of the 30 films in the festival, 15 are by female-identifying filmmakers of whom four are new filmmakers. Co-curator Nolini Barretto said, "We are thrilled to present the unique perspectives of a variety of female filmmakers. It is our hope that this will generate further conversation about the critical importance of a diversity of voices and stories within the dance film genre and beyond."

"For this year's festival, it was imperative to the curation team to include thought-provoking films like Dan Thornburn's I Fall, Maurya Kerr's Saint Leroi, and Brian J. Johnson and Company 605's Future Futures that capture the human experience and power of community through the poetry of movement and the healing power of dance," noted Trusnovec.

The Dance on Camera Festival will close with a celebration of the 40th anniversary of Flashdance. "Our goal this year is to honor films that push the boundaries of time and memory, so we are thrilled to present Adrian Lyne's trailblazing dance film, Flashdance," noted Dance Films Association president and festival co-curator Shawn Bible. "The issues portrayed in the film still resonate in the present day, and the artistry of Lyne's work continues to inspire dance films, artists, and audiences of today, just as it did during its release 40 years ago in 1983."

The interactive competition #MyDanceFilm also returns to the 2023 Dance on Camera Festival and showcases submissions from filmmakers worldwide. It will be available to the public in the Amphitheater at the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center on Sunday, February 12 at 5:30 PM as part of the festival's free public programming. Additional details can be found at dancefilms.org.

Tickets for the 2023 Dance on Camera Festival go on sale Thursday, January 19 at 12pm ET. Tickets are $12 for Film at Lincoln Center Members, $14 for Students, Seniors (62+), and Persons with Disabilities, and $17 for the General Public. Save with the discounted All-Access Pass for $79 and the discounted Student All-Access Pass for $39. For additional information regarding the festival, please visit Film at Lincoln Center at filmlinc.org and Dance Films Association at dancefilms.org, and follow us on social media @filmlinc and @dancefilms.