RIFF fifth edition
In this fifth edition there are powerful, visual, poetic, and provocative films, as well as realistic short films, humanist, humoristic, ecological, dance-theater films, documentaries about dance and art, animations, and local culture.
RIFF celebrates dance- art and cinema- (hence the subtitle of the festival), so diversity is one of the most important principles for us.
In this fifth edition there are powerful, visual, poetic, and provocative films, as well as realistic short films, humanist, humoristic, ecological, dance-theater films, documentaries about dance and art, animations, and local culture.
Due to the special time we all are experiencing, the festival is being celebrated in two versions: First, through a new on-line magazine with a month-access to the films. Alongside a version that is taking place at R.E.D with screenings, live dance, art and music both indoor and outdoor (drive-in cinema).
The festival wishes to connect the audience and artists in a safe and pleasant atmosphere with the focus on bridging the dance, art and film fields. The farm offers a variety of areas that brings people together to watch and talk about films, art and dance.
The jury decided to keep several films as equal winners, because they represent the variety of the festival. The link between these films is that they are related to dance and movement, even though some are more experimental and others conceptual.
The jury
Mari Nørstegård Tomren (NO)
Advisor in one of Norways three regional film funds, Filminvest. Been in the filmindustry since 2005, working in the marketing-departement in Norways leading cinema chain, and been the Cinema-manger in Lillehammer for the past 6 years. Experienced boardmember, covering filmfestival, filmfund and a national alliance of cinemas.
Margaret Williams (UK)
Margaret has made many award-winning dance and music-drama films. Her respected and internationally successful work has always taken a new and original approach, with an individual creative vision at the heart of all her films.
Ella Fiskum (NO) - RIFF Artistic Director
Ella hails from Trondheim, Norway. She was educated at the Oslo National Academy of the Arts, under Natalia Papina in St. Petersburg, and at the John Cranko Schule in Stuttgart.
After working extensively as a contemporary dancer, she founded Ella Fiskum Danz working both as a choreographer, dancer, director, and producer. With 30 years of experience, producing over 19 full length stage productions and 21 films, she has received international awards and toured the world.
In 2012 Fiskum relocated to a farm outside Oslo for the purpose of building up R.E.D. - an International Center for the Arts, which she is running. R.E.D. became a Regional Competence Center for Dance in 2018, and, since 2021, it’s funded by the government.
She received the Vestre Toten Culture Prize in 2019, OA in 2020, and a five year working Government Grant (2021-2025). Fiskum founded RIFF in 2015.
Yolanda M. Guadarrama (MX) - RIFF Curator
Yolanda M. Guadarrama. Mexican. Engineer, dancer, choreographer, audiovisual creator, coeditor of MOHO Magazine and Editorial. She is dedicated to the creation, exhibition and promotion of screendance, she made her first screendance in 1994.
Movimiento en Movimiento Director (2013-2022). She was Cofounder of Motion festival in Berlin, 2008. Curator for RIFF festival, Norway for 7 years. She was a Screendance judge at LIFF, UK, 2017.
Her work AILING ANIMAL obtained honorable mention in Agite y Sirva, 2015. POTATO EATERS obtained first place as an experimental short, Eurasia International Monthly Film Festival, 2018.
Her works have been exhibited in several international festivals. She is a member of RED IBEROAMERICANA DE VIDEODANZA-Screendance Iberoamerican Net (REDIV).
Program
The film is telling a strong story where a dancing-scene/a sensory experience is the peak/the turning point in the story. The film has a high production value, and is able to move the viewer, without being too sentimental. It highlights the importance of art, and manages to bridge more conventional storytelling with dance elements.
Short Film Winner: Replay
The movement in the film is fascinating, and the background action well chosen as it manages to highlight the city and the inhabitants as a main part of the film. The editing and camera work (cinematograph as well as camera choreography) is excellent. The distinctly cinematic tool of close-up was used brilliantly. The film is particularly current in these times of healthy distance, where the hands touching each other becomes something to underline and appreciate, as they do it in this film.
Short Film Winner: Hands On / Off
The film is an extremely well composed film that balances exquisite and highly rhythmical contemporary dance with beautiful moving cinematography. A Dance film with a message of love and compassion, with an equally interesting choreography as its cinematography, expressively moving the objective for the characters -to integrate others in their solitude.
Short Film Winner: Home
This cinematic film with great sound and a high production value is very realistic and is showing a dangerous situation inside an insecure country, as in deed Afghanistan is. The camera is well placed in a very dark context and the plot makes you do reflections on the evil of the human beings against their peers.
Short Film Winner: Elephantbird
The film is an excellent documentary on dance, beautifully photographing, editing, and exhibiting dance showing extreme and excessive feelings particularly relevant at this time. The five choreographers, to whom the documentary is dedicated, are really provoking social manners and art establishment, or going beyond dance limits. They are a real good example of breaking limits in contemporary dance and performance.
Feature Film Winner: Why Do We Dance – To Provoke
The film shows exquisite nature and cinematography in combination with a strong performer, who is also the choreographer of this short film. She is concerned with ecological issues, and has an intention to show you how we are vanishing in the nature as complex animals confronted by the different sensations that nature gives.
Honorary Mention: Clementine
This beautifully made animation has a tremendous strong plot where there is a drama of surviving in a future time where a man is traveling around the universe trying to give sense to his life. The film has very nice drawings in movement.
Honorary Mention: Cosmic Fling
This documentary gives voice to a brave woman who has abandoned a "normal" domestic life in a conservative social environment for being a performance artist using her own body as a vehicle and main tool of her art and expression of freedom. The film has very interesting and beautiful, yet sometimes disturbing images, well collected, composed and told by the filmmaker.
Honorary Mention: Born Just Now
