Alonzo King LINES Ballet Film ORIGINS to Premiere at San Francisco International Film Festival

Alonzo King LINES Ballet has announced that ORIGINS, a new film by director Drea Cooper, will make its world premiere at the 68th San Francisco International Film Festival (SFFILM Festival). The film will be presented on Saturday, April 19, at 4:30 PM at the Premier Theater at One Letterman in San Francisco’s Presidio, screening alongside A Quiet Storm and Voices from the Abyss.

Acclaimed choreographer Alonzo King and his renowned dance company take center stage in this gorgeously photographed film that interweaves powerful personal stories and performance. The film follows King and his troupe as they employ their graceful and breathtaking artistry in service to a dance that poetically celebrates humanity. Weaving together King’s words and LINES’ striking movements, ORIGINS creates a moving portrait of the language of dance and showcases how art forges connection, despite cultural barriers and personal differences. 

Produced by Julie Costanzo, Gary Kout, Robert Rosenwasser, and Drea Cooper, ORIGINS offers an intimate and poetic look at King’s artistic vision, illustrating how movement becomes a universal language of transformation. More than a film about dance, Director Drea Cooper delivers a stunning meditation on the meaning of life, the ties that bind us to each other, and hope for a brighter future.

The San Francisco International Film Festival, presented by SFFILM, runs April 17–27 at venues in San Francisco and Berkeley. The official program—curated from nearly 4,500 submissions and invitations—includes premieres, eagerly anticipated award titles, debut work from emerging storytellers, international narrative and documentary films, mid-lengths, shorts, and the Golden Gate Award juried competition.

About Drea Cooper

Drea Cooper’s short film The Aquadettes (Festival 2012) won the Golden Gate Award for Best Bay Area Short. Among his other works are T-Rex (Festival 2015), winner of The Festival’s Documentary Audience Award and a Special Jury Award for Bay Area Documentary Feature; the series Flint Town (2018); a short, Fire in Paradise (2019); and Fellini Forward (2021).

About SFFILM

SFFILM is a nonprofit organization whose mission ensures independent voices in film are welcomed, heard, and given the resources to thrive. SFFILM inspires and connects audiences, students and teachers, and filmmakers through film exhibition, youth education, and artist development programs. Annual public film programs presented by SFFILM include the San Francisco International Film Festival (SFFILM Festival), which is the longest running film festival in the Americas, Doc Stories documentary series, special events with the best and brightest in contemporary film, and family programming. SFFILM Education serves more than 15,000 students and educators with learning opportunities designed to cultivate media literacy, global citizenship, and a lifelong love of movies. SFFILM Makers supports the careers of independent filmmakers from the Bay Area and beyond with grants, residencies, and other creative development services.

About Alonzo King LINES Ballet

Forty-three years of outstanding, multi-disciplinary collaborations for the stage place the LINES Ballet company at the forefront of artistic innovation in ballet. With each collaboration, LINES Ballet investigates deeply rooted affinities between Western and Eastern classical forms, elemental materials, the natural world, and the human spirit. At LINES Ballet, the artistic investigation is infinite and essential, for it leads to what unites us as human beings: empathy, joy, and the ability to transcend. LINES Ballet’s spring and fall home seasons and global tours share this vision of transformative, revelatory dance with 50,000+ audience members worldwide every year. The Company has been featured at venues such as the Venice Biennale, Monaco Dance Forum, Maison de la Dance de Lyon, the Edinburgh International Festival, Montpellier Danse, the Wolfsburg Festival, the Holland Dance Festival, and most recently the Théâtre National de Chaillot in Paris. linesballet.org

Photo courtesy of Alonzo King LINES Ballet

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