Films.Dance, International Film Series Featuring Artists from More Than 25 Countries, Premieres TORN, Free

Two of Los Angeles’ foremost cultural organizations—the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts and the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts—have teamed up with Chicago’s Joan W. and Irving B. Harris Theater to present Films.Dance, a groundbreaking new global free film series produced by and under the creative direction of LA-based Jacob Jonas The Company. Films.Dance is being made available to the public at no charge. One of the most ambitious international dance film projects ever undertaken, Films.Dance engages more than 150 artists from 52 cities in 25 countries, culminating in 15 short films that have been shot during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. The next film in the series, TORN, premieres on April 19, 2021, 9 AM (PT), and will subsequently be available on demand. In this visual exploration of the expectations of manhood, three men fight for dominance while exposing the internal fight and dialogue with the self, embodied by the three protagonists. While each of them fights for dominance, they simultaneously expose their weaknesses, tearing each other down, lifting each other up and struggling to find support in moments of fading strength. Berlin-based director Torben Loth captures the original choreography of London-based Waddah Sinada, founder of FUBUNATION. The work is performed by Conal Finn Francis-Martin, Robert Robinson and Jamal Uhlmann, all dancers with State Ballet Hanover, and features an original sound design by Peter Duffy, original score by Pete Fraser and wardrobe by Chinese-born, London-based designer Feng Chen Wang. Director: Torben Loth Choreographer: Waddah Sinada Featuring: Conal Finn Francis-Martin, Robert Robinson, Jamal Uhlmann Sound Design: Peter Duffy Score: Pete Fraser Cinematographer: Lasse Liebelt Wardrobe: Feng Chen Wang Produced by: Jacob Jonas The Company Through non-traditional collaborations across cultures and continents, and led by the vision of Jacob Jonas, the worldwide series connects the perspectives of diverse artists from a range of disciplines, dance genres, abilities, and experiences. Filmed in locations ranging from Amsterdam, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, and London, to Los Angeles, New York, Nigeria, and Spain—Films.Dance exists at the intersection of dance, music, fashion, and film. Each Monday through May 3, 2021, one film will premiere for free at 9 a.m. (PT) on the Web at https://www.films.dance, on https://www.instagram.com/films.dance, and the Films.Dance Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/globalfilmseries.