MIDDLETOWN — Coyote Film Festival, Lake County”s own independent film festival, will showcase an amazing array of dance during the Aug. 29 screenings at the Calpine Geothermal Visitors Center in Middletown. A 1:30 p.m. matinee and a 7:30 p.m. screening will highlight an assortment of dance films including “Phoenix Dance” by award winning documentarian Karina Epperlein. Epperlein will be on hand for an audience Q&A after screening her film.
Through interviews, studio rehearsals and performances, “Phoenix Dance” follows the evolution of a pas de duex created for acclaimed dancer Homer Avila, who, in the height of his renowned career lost his leg and most of his hip to cancer. Famed choreographer Alonzo King created a deeply moving and intimate collaboration for Avila and dancer Andrea Flores.
Epperlein has created an equally moving film about the journey. Another documentary in the festival lineup is “Horizon of Exile” by Isabel Rocamora, where viewers follow the journey of exile of two women across timeless desert landscapes. Within a cinematic framework punctuated by voice testimonies of Iraqi exiles, “Horizon of Exile” employs choreographed gesture to consider issues of land and identity.
In addition the festival will screen the wonderful film, “Trolley Dances” by Mark Freeman. “Trolley Dances” challenges viewers to see the cityscape afresh with six original site-specific dance performances. The documentary takes a behind the scenes look at the months-long process of creation, bringing art and community together through dance. Additional films are in the works and cannot be announced yet.
Calpine Geothermal Visitors Center is located at 15500 Central Park Road in Middletown. There is plenty of parking, restrooms, great sound and a great screening room. Tickets are $10 at the door and $5 for children 16 and younger. Fresh popcorn and concessions will also be available.
Coyote Film Festival is a fundraising arm of EcoArts of Lake County, a 501(c)3 non-profit arts organization dedicated to bringing visual art opportunities and ecologic stewardship to the residents and visitors of Lake County. For information, visit www.EcoArtsofLakeCounty.org or www.CoyoteFilmFestival.org.
