SV Showcase: Confrontation by Shannon Janet Smith and Steven Butler

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Confrontation, directed by Shannon Janet Smith and Steven Butler, is our third film to be featured as part of our SV Showcase this month. This is one of the three films to be awarded the StandardVision Showcase Award for Artistic Achievement at the Los Angeles Dance Film Festival.

Confrontation is a story of a painting come to life, confronting every individual who ignores its beauty. With frustration and the desire to be seen, it screams for attention and struggles to capture someone’s gaze. It only takes one. The person who sees the art for what it is and revels in her beauty.

Los Angeles Dance Film Festival co-founders Alexa Roman and Betsy Uhler discuss the film,

"Confrontation tells a story about connecting with art. It's particularly relevant in 2017 as more and more of us are distracted by our devices. The film flips reality and freezes time for the human witnesses while a normally fixed piece of artwork moves fluidly through space. Not only are the dancers emotive in Confrontation but the camera takes on its own personality choosing where to focus, when to hide and when to interfere. Dance cinema isn't always the most accessible artform. Our submissions team was impressed with these filmmakers' ability to convey their story while elevating both the filmic and choreographic qualities - without any words. Confrontation is an exemplary dance film and we look forward to seeing what this team does next."

Confrontataion plays on the SVLA1 screen in downtown Los Angeles, at 901 W Olympic Blvd. every Thursday – Sunday from 9pm-Midnight through May 14.

ABOUT THE DIRECTORS:

Director/Choreographer Shannon Janet Smith's goal is to create art that will provoke an emotional response from her audience. She thrives in a collaborative environment where ideas flow freely and a memorable story comes to life. Shannon enjoys blurring mediums to elevate the artistic process and enhance the world of dance. She wishes to continue joining forces with other creative minds in order to paint the world with dance.

Steven Butler is a versatile writer/director with an eye for detail and an easygoing personality. He started his career as a dancer/choreographer, with projects on the big and small screen; Transformers 2, The Latin Grammy’s  and Weeds, to name a few. In recent years, Steven turned his creative sights on Filmmaking, studying Directing at ArtCenter College of Design, where he graduated with Distinction, Fall 2013. Steven has directed music videos for Precarious Records, Ultra Records and Raid Recordings, and racked up accolades for writing, directing and producing from Slamdance, The Addy Awards, Zooppa and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Blue Ribbon Panel.