DANCE ON FILM FOR THE FOURTH AGE — SHORT FILMS SCREENINGS FOR THE ELDERLY

SEPT 7, 8 🕣 FROM 11:00 📍AT THE RESIDENTIAL CENTER AMALIA AND CHIEF RABBI DR. MOSES ROSEN

The Age4 Community Art Centre (2009-present) is a socio-artistic project created within the Moses Rosen Residential Centre for the Elderly. Following the experience of working together for 18 months, the residents of the home together with a team of artists and performers launched, on May 30, 2011, the "Age4 Community Art Centre". Together they created several dance and community theatre performances, based on the personal stories of the home residents, while advocating against ageism.

The Age4 Community Arts Centre is a space dedicated to promoting community art with institutionalised people through socio-performative practices.

BIDFF VR ’23

SEPT 7 - 10 📍AT /SAC @ MALMAISON

BIDFF VR '23 CLUSTERS redefines the boundaries between reality and fiction, control and autonomy. In a world where the sun chooses to hide, where gravity is irrelevant, fundamental questions about the nature of existence and the connections between us arise. Fairy tales and legends find echoes in contemporary reality, opening a dialogue between old and new, tradition and modernity.

You will explore the frail intersections between personal choice and external pressures, testing the resilience of the spirit in the face of societal challenges. A veil of history and nostalgia will cloud your footsteps as memories and testimonies from Taiwan reverberate in your consciousness.

Cine & Danza de Buenos Aires — Films and Dance from Argentina

THURSDAY, SEPT 7 🕣 FROM 18:30 📍 AT CINÉMA ELVIRE POPESCO

Explore two captivating universes through a journey in the vibrant city of Buenos Aires. The first film, Bailabilonia, unveils a story of internal and external influences that shape body languages in an ever-transforming urban landscape, while Los Posibles captures creative connections between dancing communities at the heart and on the periphery of the city.

collected screams — Lecture performance Sarah Vanhee

THURSDAY, SEPT 7 🕣 FROM 19:00 📍AT THE NATIONAL CENTER OF DANCE BUCHAREST

A voice is as singular as a fingerprint. When we scream, we catapult ourselves inside out, revealing that dimension of ourselves in between body and mind, maybe closest to our soul. “To open our mouth and let out sounds from a hole in the middle of our face”, revealing both our strongest power and deepest vulnerability.

In collected screams, Sarah Vanhee shares different uttered and non-uttered screams from scientific, philosophical, mythological, artistic and political backgrounds, moving from socially accepted, contextualized an

OMEN

DRAMA, 90', 2023, BE/NL/CD/FR/DE/ZA

THURSDAY, SEPT 7 🕣 FROM 20:30 📍 AT CINÉMA ELVIRE POPESCO

Koffi (Marc Zinga) was banished from Congo and sent to relatives in Belgium because he was considered a sorcerer. Fifteen years later, he is about to have his first child with partner Alice (Lucie Debay). They travel to the Congolese city of Lubumbashi to reconcile with his family, bearing a cash offering. But Koffi receives a welcome that’s anything but warm. His father is nowhere to be found, his mother wants little to do with him, and one of his sisters accuses him of trying to curse her young child. In telling this compelling story, rapper and artist Baloji takes fascinating diversions through the streets of vibrant Lubumbashi. The result is filled with astonishing, unforgettable images, and marks the emergence of an incredible filmmaking talent.

HIDDEN SENSES — INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION I

THURSDAY, SEPT 7 🕣 FROM 21:00 📍 AT GRĂDINA CU FILME — CINEMA & MORE

The first International Competition of the ninth edition of BIDFF features five docu-stories that take the audience on an inspirational journey around the world. From the poignant story of the US-Mexico borderland farm workers to the ignited passion of the fire breathing boys from Ghana, this selection celebrates the power of rhythm through dance and hidden senses, unveiling the importance of a collective resistance which springs out of a strong and fighting spirit. Six directors and choreographers capture the realities of marginal communities which make their voices heard through dizzying rhythms.

Line-up: Ghostly Labor: A Dance Film, In Light, Yvon / The Eternal, Dragon Boys, And Me, I’m Dancing Too, and Animal Origins.

SIZZLING SEMICONDUCTORS — Electronic Sound Workshop with Ioana Vreme Moser

SEPT 8 — 9 🕣 FROM 10:00 TO 18:00 📍 AT THE NATIONAL CENTER OF DANCE BUCHAREST

Berlin-based Romanian artist Ioana Vreme Moser invites performers, musicians, visual artists, as well as others who want to experience a new way of creating sound to an intensive two-day workshop in which they will be guided to construct, bend, drill, solder, and reinvent circuitry.

The workshop proposes the construction of oscillating instruments from scratch to investigate the multifaceted history of electronic parts, semiconductive stones, their presence in electronic devices, and environmental decay. The participants will acquire knowledge in both technical and historical aspects of electronics to understand the methods of reinforcing communication networks out of leftovers.

INNER VOICES — INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION II

FRIDAY, SEPT 8 🕣 FROM 18:30 📍 AT CINÉMA ELVIRE POPESCO

The second programme of international short films sends the viewer on a whirlwind of memories, images and mesmerizing human experiences where narratives shape reality, from the story of a crane operator in Lebanon to a social satire that looks into male stereotypes in Japan. Intimate stories unravel bold clusters that fight their way back through breaking societal norms, exploring self-awareness, freedom and seeking inner support in an ever-changing world. They dance their way through liminal spaces to overcome inner fears.

Line-up: Everything at Once, Because We Bleed, Flowers While You’re Here, Yagoria, Opferschicht, and Warsha.

AMEBAS TRAIDORAS・NOIR・SEVEN DAYS OF WINTER — Dance Performance and Portuguese Dance Films

FRIDAY, SEPT 8 🕣 FROM 19:00 📍AT THE NATIONAL CENTER OF DANCE BUCHAREST

Amebas Traidoras emerges based on the multidisciplinary approach to this issue by Robert Sapolsky, author awarded by the MacArthur Foundation, and Professor of Biology and Neurology at Stanford University. In a piece for two performers, Luís Malaquias seeks to materialize Sapolsky's words in the bodies of the dancers, in an attempt to understand the reasons behind some of the most fracturing and devastating behaviors that human beings are capable of.

The performance will be followed by the screening of two films produced by Ca.DA – Companhia de Dança de Almada: Noir and Seven Days of Winter.

Smoke Sauna Sisterhood

DOCUMENTARY, 89', 2023, EE

FRIDAY, SEPT 8 🕣 FROM 20:30 📍 AT CINÉMA ELVIRE POPESCO

The Vana-Võromaa (region in South Estonia) smoke sauna tradition is one of connecting family and friends to cleanse body and soul inside a place of peace and contemplation. Conflicts are left outside. The history of the smoke saunas as a place of giving birth inspired director Anna Hints to focus on women who “come together in the protective darkness of the smoke sauna, share their deepest secrets and wash off the shame that has accumulated in their bodies”. The first documentary by an Estonian director to compete and win at Sundance, Smoke Sauna Sisterhood is a deeply moving, intimate and breathtaking approach to issues of trauma, healing, and community, showing women “as they are” with deep empathy.

CRITICAL GESTURES — INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION III

FRIDAY, SEPT 8 🕣 FROM 21:00 📍 AT GRĂDINA CU FILME — CINEMA & MORE

Calupul de scurtmetraje Critical Gestures dezvăluie mulțimi efervescente care își depășesc propriile granițe prin voci și mișcări ce generează schimbare. De la protestele împotriva exploatării minelor de cărbune din Columbia la amintirile ultimei fabrici de cărămizi de pe o insulă din Vietnam, de la dialoguri digitalizate la liniile neclare dintre om și animal, cea de-a treia Competiție Internațională chestionează contexte și reguli care se învârt în jurul unor subiecte precum capitalismul, asuprirea drepturilor omului și distrugerea egoului.

Line-up: Flowers from Another Garden, Hybris I, Just BE, Urban Genesis, Beast, In the Same Boat, and The Death of Ego.

Words and Gestures — Dance Workshop with Luis Malaquias and Bruno Duarte

SATURDAY, SEPT 9 🕣 FROM 11:00 📍 LINOTIP – CENTRU INDEPENDENT COREGRAFIC

In this workshop, aimed at participants aged at least 14 years old, with a good level of English and some dance experience, Luís and Bruno will guide participants through exercises that explore the relationship between the gesture, or movement, and the spoken word and writing, in a strong component of solo improvisation and in contact with the other, whether in a duet or in a group.

BLURRED MOVES — INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION IV

SATURDAY, SEPT 9 🕣 FROM 16:30 📍 AT CINÉMA ELVIRE POPESCO

Blurred Moves stages powerful performances that reflect the pervasive anxiety and hope that lie beneath the surface, urging us to confront our demons and shape our collective destiny. In SOMA, an uncanny gathering goes through visceral experiences of pleasure. In Demons, a raw dance mirrors the challenges of climate change in inner struggles. A competitive obsession of an athlete, the untold burden of a young man at a house party in rural Alabama and the depths of the human mind intertwine to complete the last selection of short films in the festival.

Line-up: SOMA, Boléro, ALOW, I Have No Legs, and I Must Run, Demons, and I Remember It Rained.

Kite Zo A (Leave the Bones)

DOCUMENTARY, 70', 2022, CA/HT

SATURDAY, SEPT 9 🕣 FROM 18:00 📍 AT CINÉMA ELVIRE POPESCO

In 1791, in Haiti, Dutty Boukman presided over a Vodou ritual in Bois-Caïman that led to the creation of the first Black republic. Since then, rituals of transformation and artistic expression have been at the core of a thriving culture as the country faces oppression, poverty, and natural disasters. “Kite Zo A (Leave the Bones)” is a sensorial film about rituals in Haiti, from ancient to modern, made in collaboration with poets, dancers, musicians, fishermen, daredevil rollerbladers, and Vodou priests, set to poetry by Haitian author Wood-Jerry Gabriel.

THE HISTORICAL (SUB)CENTER — Performative GUIDED TOUR WITH ADRIAN IONESCU

SATURDAY, SEPT 9, AND SUNDAY, SEPT 10 🕣 FROM 18:00 📍 STARTING POINT: ION BREZOIANU ST. 4

The Old Town, Bucharest, 2023. An effervescent urban area where outdoor terraces, pubs, nightclubs and erotic massage parlors coexist in a crowded and standardized space, attracting mainly young corporate clientele and foreign tourists in search of entertainment and Balkan menus. Cover bands, energetic MCs playing over famous pop songs, maybe a lone accordionist on a street corner, provide a slightly recognisable background sound that claims to be mainstream music.

We propose a guided tour through the Historical Center, in an imaginary visit of the locations that marked the development of the alternative music scene and the underground communities in the early 2000s.

Screaming Minerals – lecture-performance Ioana Vreme Moser

SATURDAY, SEPT 9 🕣 FROM 19:00 📍AT THE NATIONAL CENTER OF DANCE BUCHAREST

Extracted from ground, manipulated through industrial processes, electronic components like semiconductors return to Earth’s geological layer in extended wastelands.

Screaming Minerals follows through a lecture performance the rise of information technologies and their environmental decay. As algorithms become exponentially intelligent, the project delves into their transistorised hardware bodies, their materialities, entangled politics, fragility and toxicity.

Extending the Sizzling Semiconductors workshop, Screaming Minerals enacts instruments from transistors’ made of waste to form an orchestra. Noises and tones emerge as radiosensitive stones and pieces of scrap metal are scratched with needles. Oscillation occurs at a precise touch of a burned spot rendering the instruments in highly unpredictable sonic landscapes.

SILVER VEILED・POLITICAL MOTHER: THE FINAL CUT

SATURDAY, SEPT 9 🕣 FROM 21:00 📍AT GRĂDINA CU FILME — CINEMA & MORE

Silver Veiled is a video work that originates from the research material of the choreographic diptych AeReA | Ara! Ara! Created in dialogue with the architecture, the use of the flag is central to the structure of the work. A series of unveilings unfold, evoking the close and ancient brotherhood between two textile objects: flag and shroud. The drapes are presented in a silvery grey, cleaned of symbols and coats of arms until they expose their plastic, invented essence — a blank canvas without connotations where anything can emerge, begin, or disappear.

Hofesh Shechter’s iconic stage work Political Mother explodes onto the screen as an unplugged, unapologetic, and exhilarating new short film. From behind the lens, Shechter brings Battersea Arts Centre's imposing architecture and intimate spaces center stage, immersing audiences within a fragile world of raw emotions as a group of individuals struggle against the complex structures that define their world and ours. Directed, choreographed, composed, and filmed by Hofesh Shechter, Political Mother: The Final Cut brings fresh dance energy to the screen, performed by Shechter II, a new generation of exciting world-class dancers.

Wandering with a camera – the body in somatic landscape screendance | Screendance Masterclass with Heike SalZer

SUNDAY, SEPT 10 🕣 FROM 10:00 📍 AT THE NATIONAL CENTER OF DANCE BUCHAREST

During this practical masterclass participants are invited to explore the Wanderlust method, a site-specific holistic approach for the making of landscape screendance. Embarking on a site journey, we will be wandering with a camera and discover the joyful mode of making screendance by entering a dialogue with the environment, facilitating the spontaneous trialogue between the site – dance – camera. By exploring scores such as wandering together, listening and sensing place, and site specific screendance performance, we will encounter the unforeseen and capture atmospheres and rhythms through movement and camera by ‘being-in-place’ together.

MOVE. FILM. YOUTH. – (CINE)DANCE WORKSHOP WITH CAMELIA NEAGOE

SUNDAY, SEPT 10 🕣 FROM 14:00 📍AT GOOD MOOD DANCE STUDIO

The (cine)dance workshop for teenagers offers an introduction to the world of dance film through a mix of practical, individual and collaborative exercises designed to encourage exploration and facilitate understanding of the means of artistic expression. Participants will watch a selection of international short films, discuss their form and the techniques used, and have the opportunity to film their own works in collaborative teams.

What is the difference in perception between filmed and directly observed movement? Can we capture what the performers are conveying, and not just documenting the choreography? What story do we want to tell? What are the ways through which the camera transforms from intermediary to performer? How do we choreograph movement in order for it to be filmed?

TOONS AND GROOVES — Short Dance Animations

SUNDAY, SEPT 10 🕣 FROM 16:30 📍 AT CINÉMA ELVIRE POPESCO

Discover a mesmerizing world through stories about love, longing, and self-discovery. Two dance partners are expressing their emotions through enchanting choreography, while an animated video takes you on a journey through a city’s mysterious night. This programme of short cartoons curated by the Animest International Animation Film Festival is a captivating fusion of music, poetry and dance, where emotions transcend words and nature echoes an infinite scream.

Line-up: The Scream, Tango con Anita, Pas à deux, Swimming Pool, Le Sens du toucher, Dip N' Dance, 1 Mètre/Heure, Three Birds, Cimpoiasca, and Le coeur est un métronome.

Violences and Situated Powers. A Choreographic Archive – lecture performance Flor Firvida MARTIN

SUNDAY, SEPT 10 🕣 FROM 19:00 📍 AT THE NATIONAL CENTER OF DANCE BUCHAREST

Based on a personal experience in a city at war, questions are mobilized around violence and the possibilities of existence in different contexts. In Reynosa, Mexico, this audiovisual choreographic archive of corporal interviews was born. This archive compiles physical and oral accounts of memories, emotions and experiences around violence and power from women and feminized bodies in various cities in Latin America.

How do you feel the violence? What is potency? What can a body do, feel or think in a particular environment? How to expand what we can?

BEST OF BIDFF #9 — Screening of the festival’s winners

SUNDAY, SEPT 10 🕣 FROM 21:00 📍 AT GRĂDINA CU FILME — CINEMA & MORE

At the end of the four days of festival, BIDFF invites you to one last event during its ninth edition — BEST OF BIDFF #9, a special screening of the winning short films in the International Competition. The event will be presented by the festival's artistic director Simona Deaconescu, and will feature as special guests the members of this year's jury, formed of dance artists and choreographers Heike Salzer, Ana Macara and Flor Firvida Martin. Audiences will thus have the opportunity to (re)watch some of the best film productions presented in the festival, under the starry sky, at Grădina cu Filme — Cinema & More.