Bat-Sheva Guez's short film "In This Life" Airs on WNET ALL ARTS on August 5, 2020
Company:
Bat-Sheva Guez
IN THIS LIFE
TO AIR ON WNET ALL ARTS
August 5, 2020
Tony Award Nominee Robbie Fairchild stars,
working as co-writer and co-producer with director Bat-Sheva Guez.
Collaboratively choreographed by Fairchild alongside
James Alsop, Warren Craft, Andrea Miller, and Christopher Wheeldon
Bat-Sheva Guez's short film In This Life will be released for free on TV and online on WNET ALL ARTS beginning on Wednesday, August 5, 2020. View In This Life at allarts.org/programs/all-arts-performance-selects/life-fvtylu/.
In five acts, In This Life explores the language of loss, conveying the complexity of grief in the often-wordless way it impacts our lives. The film is a leap of faith for former New York City Ballet principal and Broadway star Robbie Fairchild as he embarks on an ambitious collaboration with the director, choreographers, and dancers. Sharing the roles of writer and producer with Bat-Sheva Guez, Fairchild imbues this odyssey with the very personal experience of one man going through this rite of passage, which is as universal as it is unique.
The work stands outside the boundaries of genre: part narrative film, part dance film, and part video art. Each act illustrates a different phase of the grieving process, as choreographed by a different choreographer: James Alsop, Warren Craft, Robbie Fairchild, Andrea Miller, and Christopher Wheeldon.
"When there are no words to speak, you sing; when there is no song to sing, you dance," said Fairchild. "I'm fascinated by the concept of dance having the ability to convey our humanity when words fail - and what part of our humanity is more powerfully complex than loss?"
"My drive as a dance filmmaker is to liberate dance from the confines of the theater and to re-imagine it in the world," said Bat-Sheva Guez. "Creating a work of art in and of itself, a piece that goes far beyond a flat documentation of a performance. During trying times, the arts uplift us. They add meaning and significance to a sometimes chaotic world. And with dancers and their audience separated from each other during this time, we felt it was important to share our film in a way that it can be experienced by all, regardless of location."
IN THIS LIFE
Directed by: Bat-Sheva Guez; Written by: Bat-Sheva Guez and Robbie Fairchild; Starring: Robbie Fairchild; Executive Producer: Robbie Fairchild; Producers: Jeanette Bonner, Bat-Sheva Guez; Choreographers: Warren Craft, James Alsop, Andrea Miller, Christopher Wheeldon, Robbie Fairchild (in order of appearance); Performers: Kathleen Laituri, Heather Lang, Rico Lebron, Martha Nichols, Michael Rosen, Ahmad Simmons, Ryan Steele, Cassandra Surianello, Abby Stephensen, Julien Valme; Director of Photography: Giacomo Belletti; Editor: Bat-Sheva Guez; Production Designer: Karen Weber; Mask Designer: James Ortiz; Costume Designer: Becky Bodurtha; Score: RIVKA; Sound Designer: Eric Brown; Consulting Producer: Emily Branham
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
BAT-SHEVA GUEZ (Director, Writer, Producer)
Bat-Sheva Guez is passionate about weaving dance and magic into visually compelling, character-driven stories. She has directed over a dozen short films and screened at festivals worldwide including the Hamptons International Film Festival, the Rhode Island Film Festival, Newport Beach Film Festival, the Brooklyn Film Festival and more. She was a finalist for the 2020 Screencraft Screenwriting Fellowship, the recipient of the JT3 Artist Award for Screenwriting & Directing and has been awarded screenwriting residencies by New York Stage and Film, the Lighthouse Film Festival and the Nostros Screenwriting Retreat in Tuscany. Awards include Best Director at the Art of Brooklyn Film Festival, Best Short Film at the Moondance Film Festival, Best Cinematography and Best Musical for two different films at the Rhode Island International Film Festival and Best Experimental at the Brooklyn Film Fest, among others. Her work has been written about in the New York Times, LA Review of Books, Dance Magazine, and more. Upcoming projects include the feature films,
And How She- which she has both written and will direct and Lovella (written by Laurel Elizabeth Hasara). More at www.batshevaguez.com
ROBBIE FAIRCHILD (Producer, Writer, Performer, Choreographer)
One of the world's preeminent dancers, Robbie Fairchild is known for his work as a Principal Dancer for the New York City Ballet. He then made his Broadway debut as Jerry Mulligan in An American in Paris and was nominated for a Tony Award for the role. Robbie portrays Munkustrap in the film adaptation of CATS for Universal Pictures. His many awards include the 2015 Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Outstanding Actor in a Musical, the 2015 Astaire Award for Best Male Dancer, and the 2015 Theatre World Award. His theater credits also include Mary Shelly's Frankenstein at Signature Theater, Brigadoon at New York City Center, and his TV credits include "Soundtrack" on Netflix, and "The Chaperone" on PBS, among others.
New York-Area TV Channel Listings
Digital Antenna: 21.4 Comcast: 958/1156 Optimum: 144
Spectrum: 1276
Verizon Fios: SD 497/HD 498
About ALL ARTS
ALL ARTS is breaking new ground as the premier destination for inspiration, creativity and art of all forms. This New York Emmy-nominated arts and culture hub is created by WNET, the parent company of New York's PBS stations. With the aim of being accessible to viewers everywhere, ALL ARTS's Webby-nominated programming - from digital shorts to feature films - is available online nationwide through allarts.org, the free ALL ARTS app on all major streaming platforms, and @AllArtsTV on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. New York area TV viewers can also watch the 24/7 broadcast channel. For all the ways to watch, visit allarts.org/everywhere.
Leadership support for ALL ARTS is generously provided by Jody and John Arnhold, Sue and Edgar Wachenheim III, the Kate W. Cassidy Foundation, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Rosalind P. Walter, and The Agnes Varis Trust.
About WNET
WNET is America's flagship PBS station: parent company of New York's THIRTEEN and WLIW21 and operator of NJTV, the statewide public media network in New Jersey. Through its new ALL ARTS multi- platform initiative, its broadcast channels, three cable services (THIRTEEN PBSKids, Create, and World), and online streaming sites, WNET brings quality arts, education, and public affairs programming to more than five million viewers each month. WNET produces and presents a wide range of acclaimed PBS series, including Nature, Great Performances, American Masters, PBS NewsHour Weekend, and the nightly interview program Amanpour and Company. In addition, WNET produces numerous documentaries, children's programs, and local news and cultural offerings, as well as multi-platform initiatives addressing poverty and climate. Through THIRTEEN Passport and WLIW Passport, station members can stream new and archival THIRTEEN, WLIW, and PBS programming anytime, anywhere.
Robbie Fairchild in "In This Life." Photo Credit: Giacomo Belletti
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