Poetic Moves (Cinedans International Competition)

Whether grieving for climate change or the rise of a dictator, opening time and space to sense oneself anew or reflecting on the human soul, the artists of this program find freedom in poetry through body and words. A showcase of the strength and sensitivity of dance film as an abstract and distinct art form.

La Última Ascensión (Director: Kevin Osepa | NL | 2022 | 23’)

Rowin, a 22-year-old fisherman from Banda Abou (Curaçao) has little luck catching fish at his fishing spot. He goes there everyday despite the disapproval of his mother. One day, on the coastline where he fishes daily, he encounters a mysterious young man who will change everything.

Thorn (Director: Alexander Stamatiadis | Choreographer: Karim Khouader | GR | 2022 | 8’ [Dutch Première])

At a remote gas station in the heart of winter, a place where time stands still, three strangers cross paths and reshape time in their own way.

I Dream No More I Remember (Directors: Dehors/Audela (Salvatore Insana, Elisa Turco Liveri) | Choreographer: Elisa Turco Liveri | IT | 2023 | 12’ [Dutch Première])

A gateway, a threshold and a figure pausing, maneuvering his being within a misplaced frame. I dream no more I remember is a palindrome film, a mystical ritual in a magical and archaic place. An homage to the poetry of Lorenzo Calogero.

Soma (Director: Arturo Bandinelli | Choreographer: KWAM Collective | UK | 2023 | 10’ [Dutch Première])

A contemporary myth on the genesis of the human body, the film oscillates between two distinct dimensions: an infinite black hole, where bodies exist outside linear space and time; and a labyrinthine house, where a strange decadent gathering takes place. As the dreamlike narrative unfolds, different characters go through experiences of love, enchantment, pain and death.

The Rooster (Director: Chadi Younes | Choreographer: Rolly Dib | LB | 2023 | 8’ [World Première])

"In our neighborhood, lives a rooster. In our neighborhood, lives a sadist slaying rooster!" With these first words, Syrian writer and poet Nizar Tawfiq Qabbani recites the journey of a dictator rising to power.

Through Magma (Director/Choreographer: elisabeth raymond (elieli) | SE | 2023 | 9’ [Dutch Première])

Inspired by hydrofeminist theories and wearing a vessel suit, full of leaking water, artist Elisabeth Raymond tells an otherworldly story about sorrow, the plastic in our oceans and how our borders are fluid.