Films.Dance, International Film Series Featuring Artists from More Than 25 Countries, Premieres XENO, Free

Two of Los Angeles’ foremost cultural organizations—the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts and the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts—have teamed up with Chicago’s Joan W. and Irving B. Harris Theater to present Films.Dance, a groundbreaking new global free film series produced by and under the creative direction of LA-based Jacob Jonas The Company.  Films.Dance is being made available to the public at no charge. One of the most ambitious international dance film projects ever undertaken, Films.Dance engages more than 150 artists from 52 cities in 25 countries, culminating in 15 short films that have been shot during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The next film in the series, XENO, premieres on April 12, 2021, 9 AM (PT), and will subsequently be available on demand. Xeno is the smallest measurable unit of human connection, typically exchanged between passing strangers—a flirtatious glance, a sympathetic nod, moments that are fleeting and random but still contain powerful emotional nutrients that can alleviate the symptoms of feeling alone. Mexico City-based choreographer and founder of contemporary dance company Nohbords, Diego Mur created an original work on Montreal-based circus-artists Natasha Patterson and Sabine van Rensburg. Xeno is directed by Amy J. Gardner, with cinematography by Kristof Brandl and original music by Berlin-based Alice Phoebe Lou and Thor Rixon.

Director:  Amy J. Gardner

Choreographer: Diego Mur  (Nohbords)

Featuring: Natasha Patterson   Sabine Van Rensburg

Composer: Alice Phoebe Lou Thor Rixon

Cinematographer: Kristof Brandl

Through non-traditional collaborations across cultures and continents, and led by the vision of Jacob Jonas, the worldwide series connects the perspectives of diverse artists from a range of disciplines, dance genres, abilities, and experiences. Filmed in locations ranging from Amsterdam, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, and London, to Los Angeles, New York, Nigeria, and Spain—Films.Dance exists at the intersection of dance, music, fashion, and film.

“Our goals are to create a global arts community, to elevate the power of dance through non-traditional collaborations and to engage digital audiences in innovative ways,” said Jacob Jonas, Executive Producer of Films.Dance. “The diversity of the artists and their explorations has fostered new ways of thinking and has allowed the formation of deep relationships across physical borders. I look forward to launching this series worldwide.”

Each Monday through May 3, 2021, one film will premiere for free at 9 a.m. (PT) on the Web at  https://www.films.dance, on https://www.instagram.com/films.dance, and the Films.Dance Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/globalfilmseries.

The initiative is presented in partnership with Somewhere Magazine, and co-presented by the Joan W. and Irving B. Harris Theater for Music and Dance, Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, and Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts/CSUN.