introduction (in Hebrew): Shani Kiniso, film critic and researcher 

“When I watched one of Pina’s performances for the first time a couple of years ago, I was overcome by an emotion I can’t quite define,” says director Chantal Akerman of the subject of her film, choreographer Pina Bausch.

Akerman accompanied Bausch and her dance company on a five-week tour of Venice, Milan, and Avignon. This classic documentary centers on a meeting between two of the most prominent artists of the last century. In addition to filming dance sequences and rehearsals, Akerman held in-depth conversations with Bausch and the dancers, who were chosen for their talent as well as for their distinctive personal traits. These interviews, along with Akerman’s unique camera angles and editing, open a window onto the magic of Bausch’s work, what motivates her dancers, and why Bausch’s works resemble “cinematic scenes,” as one critic put it.

The film is being screened on the 10th anniversary of Chantal Akerman’s passing.