Film Screening:

La danse: le Ballet de l'Opera de Paris
(Frederick Wiserman, 2009, 159 min, France/ USA, French with English subtitles, Color, DVD)

One of America's most respected documentary filmmakers, Frederick Wiseman presents a glimpse into the inner workings of one of the world's most famous ballet company. Wiseman and his camera crew traveled to France and watched from the sidelines as the company's choreographers and dancers (among them Emilie Cosette, Aur (C)lie Dupont, Marie-Agns Gillot, Benjamin Pech, Latitia Pujol, and Wilfried Romoli) worked out the details of the major pieces for their 2008 program. In addition to the dancers honing their craft, Wiseman trains his eye on the people backstage who help make the ballet a reality, from the artistic directors and financiers who raise the funds to pay for the production to the stage crew who build the sets and the cleaning crew who sweep up after the show.

-- Nominated for Best Documentary at the French Cesar Awards!

Cost: Free and Open to the Public

Sponsors: The Center for French and Francophone Studies, Asian & Middle Eastern Studies Program (AMES), Department of Romance Studies, Duke University Center for International Studies (DUCIS), Duke Dance Program, Center for Documentary Studies, and the Program in the Arts of the Moving Image (AMI)