Some terrific dance films are coming up very soon at the Sydney Film Festival.
First up is The White Crow, a biopic about Rudolph Nureyev, directed by Ralph Fiennes (who also plays the part of Alexander Pushkin, Nureyev's teacher). Rudi is performed by Ukrainian lookalike Oleg Ivenko. The film is adapted by David Hare from the biography by Julie Kavanagh.
Season: June 5, 8 and 10.
From New Zealand comes a documentary about the making of the ballet based on the film of The Piano, commissioned from Czech twins Jiri (choreographer) and Otto (production designer) Bubenicek. The twins had never been to NZ before and the lead up to opening night makes fascinating viewing.
Season: June 14 and 15.
Another dancer biopic is Yuli, based on the life of Cuban dancer Carlos Acosta. The film cleverly tells the story by interweaving conventional story telling with footage of Acosta rehearsing sections of his own ballet about his journey from impoverished childhood to international stardom. Acosta plays his present self while Kevin Martinez performs him dancing in his youthful prime. This is a very absorbing film with some beautiful passages of dancing. Recommended!
Season: June 8, 9 and 12.
More info: https://www.sff.org.au/
Pictured top is a scene from 'The White Crow'.