The Flatlands Dance Film Festival is dedicated to supporting and presenting the art of Dance Cinema, a medium that explores and innovates the intersections between filmmaking and dancemaking. The festival builds educational platforms, encourages dialogue, and promotes a diverse range of cultural perspectives from around the globe.
Dance at Illinois supports and presents this medium by recognizing the vast potential where choreography and the screen reside together. Dance films provide greater access for audiences and provide more opportunities for visual/movement artists to utilize technology from a choreographic perspective.
FDFF seeks to fulfill the mission in these ways.
● Showcase a variety of films and shorts dedicated to dance performance, dance for camera, influential artists in the field, and the social impact of dance across the world.
● Host a film competition for aspiring dance filmmakers.
● Encourage dialogue –
○ Provide educational platforms to interact with filmmakers, students, and community members.
○ foster conversations between dance and film artists who examine various artistic processes and their impact on the industry.
● Generate programming that promotes diverse perspectives: Each year, the festival will focus on specific themes and subject matter and showcase international and national artists in dance, performance, visual art, cinema, and media arts.
Awards for Best in Show
Audience Choice
FDFF is excited to announce the continued partnership with the Bates Dance Festival! Bates Dance Festival will host an evening of dance films next summer during the festivals 2026 season. Finalists from the FDFF short film competition held over the past three years will be eligible. Adjudicators from the Bates Dance Festival will select the finalists. batesdancefestival.org
