Private Project

EVIDENCE OF IT ALL

Choreographer Drew Jacoby (Nederlands Dans Theater, Royal Ballet of Flanders) directs her first short film for SFDanceworks. She commissioned Pulitzer-winning librettist Royce Vavrek to create a story and text based on the concept of the seven cardinal sins through the lens of a woman in solitude, pulsating through her memories. Drawing inspiration from iconic artists Maya Deren and Peter Lindbergh, Jacoby's graphic movement style and aesthetic give the dance film an eerie, absurd, and sometimes surreal sensuality. With narration by Golden Globe-winning and Oscar-nominated actress Rosamund Pike and sound design by the brilliant composer Mikael Karlsson (Alicia Keys and Lykke Li collaborator), dancer Meredith Webster takes the viewer on an intimate and riveting journey through her troubled mind, shedding light on the perpetual inner carnal struggle.

  • Drew Jacoby
    Director
  • Royce Vavrek
    Writer
  • Brett Conway / SFDANCEWORKS
    Producer
  • Meredith Webster
    Key Cast
    "Dancer"
  • Rosamund Pike
    Key Cast
    "Voice"
    I Care a Lot, Radioactive, Gone Girl
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Dance, Art, Music, Fashion, photography
  • Runtime:
    9 minutes 12 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    April 14, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    22,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    4K UHD Blackmagic Raw
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Black & White
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Drew Jacoby

Drew Jacoby was born in Boise, Idaho (USA) in 1984, where she received her early training. She spent summers on scholarship at intensive programs including School of American Ballet in New York. At 14, Drew left Boise to study at San Francisco Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle. Her professional career began at age 17 with Alonzo King’s Lines Ballet in 2002. In 2005 she was invited to join Sylvie Guillem’s Japan tour, performing alongside dancers from The Royal Ballet and Paris Opera Ballet. Drew is the recipient of a 2005 Dance Fellowship and 2008 Special Projects Grant from the Princess Grace Foundation. She founded her own company with former Dutch National Ballet soloist Rubinald Pronk, which was based in New York City and toured to venues such as Jacob’s Pillow and Holland Dance Festival from 2007-2012. While in New York, she also danced with Christopher Wheeldon’s Morphoses, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, and Lar Lubovitch. In 2012 Drew was invited to join Nederlands Dans Theater, where she stayed for three years before joining Royal Ballet of Flanders as a principal dancer in 2015. In 2016 she collaborated on a dance film with choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and musical/visual artist ‪Woodkid‬ in Paris. She has performed works by choreographers including William Forsythe, Jiri Kylian, Maurice Bejart, George Balanchine, Jean Christophe Maillot, and Pina Bausch, and has had original works created on her by Christopher Wheeldon, Lightfoot Leon, Marco Goecke, Crystal Pite, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Alonzo King, Dwight Rhoden, Lar Lubovitch, Edouard Lock, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, and Mauro Bigonzeti. In 2018 she was nominated for a Benois de la Danse award for her performance in Pina Bausch’s Cafe Muller. She was featured as a dancer and choreographer in the official music video Cold, by the Editors and played the role of Loie Fuller in the 2020 feature film, Radioactive, directed by Marjane Satrapi. Her choreography has been performed at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, Lucent Dans Theater in The Hague, the Royal Opera House in London, and the Joyce Theater in New York. Her work has been reviewed as daring, challenging, highly intelligent, tightly structured, and ‘one that really did shine a new light on contemporary culture and dance’s place in it.’

@drewjacoby // www.drewjacoby.com

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Director Statement

I have always been drawn to visually stimulating and compelling film, art, fashion, and interior design. Strong and striking aesthetics have always spoken to me. I like to be drawn into another world, an artificial one…I want to escape reality into the magic of masterful art. As a dancer, I could never create the visual components of the performances or films I have been a part of. Since retiring from the stage, I am finally able to create my own worlds through painting, choreography, and directing film. I’ve had my mind on film for several years, and this was the first opportunity I got to work with a team that I assembled on a vision that was my own.

I am inspired a lot by fashion photography, specifically Helmut Newton, Peter Lindbergh, and David Lachapelle. There is a dark side to it, something strange and definitely sexy. It doesn’t take itself too seriously either…there is irony. I Iove juxtaposition in art. Beauty and absurdity. My choreography is similar in the way that it is full of form and shape, but odd…even touching on humorous at times. It lends itself to film, as I am obsessed with visual details and composition. Every minute is a picture for me.

This film, Evidence of it All, is a world. It has elements of nostalgia, solitude, inner secrets. I wanted the story to be a new take on the Seven Deadly Sins, and librettist Royce Vavrek made a beautifully modern and uncommon twist on that theme. It’s a collaboration of amazing creators and artists, all elevating each other. Mika Karlsson composed an eerie and epic score, using fragments of actress Rosamund Pike’s voice as instruments for the music. We are so lucky to have Rosamund’s talent for this film. We met on the set of the film, Radioactive, a few years ago. I was thrilled that she agreed to work with me on this. Her professionalism and engagement are incredibly inspiring. And of course, Meredith Webster gives a gorgeous performance. We have been colleagues and friends for years. Her quirkiness, beauty, and seasoned skills and introspection all come through beautifully in the film. I truly had a dream team for this. I hope viewers can escape in to our world and out of reality for the short duration of the film, and perhaps their hearts beat a little faster for a few minutes.