counter//balance
A foot balances precariously on a slick floor. A wheel turns and poses en pointe. They meet and overlap to balance memory and loss, presence with absence.
Synopsis
A foot balances precariously on a slick floor. A wheel turns and poses on pointe. They meet and overlap in our vision, moving away simultaneously as if never there. Innumerable, yet slight iterations edge them towards gritty and resolute perfection. Some moments are easy to grasp, embrace, and memorialize. Others shiver, shift, and elude form. A percussive sole, a guitar chord, a wheel skidding across an unforgiving floor. A pattern evolves as it is reshaped, movements repeated, recreated, revealed.
This short experimental films weaves together footage filmed over the course of a year as choreographer and dancer, Anita Fillmore Kenny, works with dancer Kris Lenzo and musician Jamie Fillmore to craft a short piece that examines the absence of presence, as they meditate on the loss of loved ones and the process by which we come to terms with, and celebrate, an unyielding emotion.
Closed Captions and Audio Descriptions available.
Subtitles: French and Greek. Please contact director for other languages.
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Anuradha RanaDirectorRing Laila, Preserves, For the Records, Variations, Welcome to Unity
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Anuradha RanaProducerRing Laila, Preserves, For the Records, Variations, Welcome to Unity
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B. RichProducerPreserves, Variations, Ring Laila
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Kathleen MullinsEditor
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Kris LenzoKey Cast
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Anita Fillmore KenneyKey Cast
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Jamie FillmoreKey Cast
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Project Type:Documentary, Experimental, Short
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Genres:Dance film, Process Film
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Runtime:6 minutes
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Completion Date:March 31, 2018
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Country of Origin:United States
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Country of Filming:United States
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Language:English
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Shooting Format:Digital HD
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Aspect Ratio:16:9
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:No
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40 North Dance Film Festival
United States -
Bare Bones International Film and Music Film Festival
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Big Muddy Film FestivalCarbondale
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Borehamwood International Film Festival
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Bridges International Film Festival
Greece -
Canada Independent Film FestivalMontreal
Canada
Rising Star Award -
Changing Face International Film Festival
Australia -
Chicago Feminist Film FestivalChicago
Audience Award - Best Doc Short Winner -
Cineframe International Short Film Festival
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Contact Dance International Film FestivalToronto
Canada -
Dunedin International Film Festival
United States -
EnCore Dance on Film
United States -
Ethnografilm ParisParis
France -
FAD Film-Art-Dance
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Fisheye Film Festival
United Kingdom -
Georgia Documentary Film Festival
Best Cinematographer Nomination -
Goa International Short Film Festival
India -
Guiar Screendance International Film Festival
Brazil -
In/Motion Chicago International Film Festival
March 22, 2019
Audience Award - Best Doc -
Kalmthout International Short Film Festival
Belgium -
Las Cruces International Film Festival
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Le Festival Interational Du Film Sue Le Handicap
France -
Life Screenings Film Festival
United States -
London Experimental
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MicroActs Artist Film Screening
United Kingdom -
Newport Beach Film FestivalNewport Beach
United States
May 2, 2019 -
Oaxaca Film Festival
Mexico -
Oregon Documentary Film Festival
Nominated - Best Director -
Pune Short Film FestivalPune
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Richmond Dance Film Festival
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Rethink Dance Film Festival
United States -
Twister Alley Film FestivalOklahoma
Award - Best Director, Documentary Short; Nomination - Best Documentary Short -
Unrestricted View Film Festival
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Utah Dance Film Festival
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ViDEOSKiN
Canada -
Windy City Film FestivalChicago
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Woodshole Film Festival
Anuradha Rana’s work focuses on ideas of representation, identity, and varied perspectives in a global environment. Her award-winning films have screened internationally and she has produced, directed, and wielded camera on documentaries filmed in India, Ecuador, Japan, South Africa and the USA. She is in production on Language of Opportunity about cultural identity and immigrant aspirations, and Copperdog (working title) which explores the relationship between sled dogs and their mushers in the Upper-Midwest. Anuradha is chair of the documentary program at the School of Cinematic Arts, DePaul University and is also the program coordinator for the Diverse Voices in Docs Fellowship at Kartemquin Films.
I believe that in our memories, both collective and individual, reside the most important and compelling stories.
I have always been fascinated by the roots of ideas and the processes undertaken to embody them; the back-story that manifests itself into an incarnation of a specific thought and the journey undertaken to formulate that thought. I am also enthralled by how seemingly disparate things can give new meanings to each other.
In my work, these ideas translate through the juxtaposition of visual elements with audio tracks that appear to be unrelated at first glance. I look for storytelling elements that can add depth to a film by creating a tangential moment. This can be through non-linear narratives, or through parallel narratives that symbiotically grow together.