40 North Dance Film Festival Recap

The second annual 40 North Dance Film Festival in San Diego kicked off last month with a three night program of dance films from all around the world. Representatives from Standard Vision attended the festival to award the cinematography prize to three films that push the boundaries of visual filmmaking. The winning films, Otis Walks Into The Woods by Derrick Belcham and Emily Terndrup, This Is Not Magritte by Ivan Skorik, and Moving Southwark by Jevan Chowdhury, will be screened on the SVLA1 screen in December as part of the 40 North Dance Film Festival x SV Showcase.Last week, the creators of the festival were interviewed by Overbored magazine and shared some insight on the relationship between dance and film. Chelsea Zeffiro mentions, "I believe that dance artists have a lot of relevant and poignant things to share in very unique ways; and through film, the potential for audience/viewers can be much higher than with live performance. Mostly, I believe that dance film is really necessary and important to making dance relevant today and expanding the dance audience."Samantha Zaucher also discusses the emotional energy of dance film: "As a dancer, the power of dance, whether watching or engaging in it, is immediate and all encompassing. It’s powerfully moving, both physically, mentally and emotionally, toward whatever the inspiration is. For the audience members in a dance experience (film or performance), and especially those who may not share a physical sympathy to the dancers giving the performance, I think dance film’s most powerful asset is an emotional or intellectual push towards a film’s intended vision."The interview also mentions details about the upcoming SV Showcase as well as future plans for the expansion of the film festival. Check out the rest of the interview here.