In haunting deserted spaces, the choreographed erratic motions of a corpse evoke the final spasms of life. Based on a concept by Robert Lepage, Pedro Pires’s exquisitely photographed morbid ballet pushes the traditional dance film to new cinematic heights. – Agata Smoluch Del Sorbo
Best Experimental Short Film, CFC World Wide Short Film Festival * Best Canadian Short Film, Toronto International Film Festival * Best Short Film, Transilvania International Film Festival
Panel Statement Pedro Pires has created a prayer for the dying, a love song to the living, with breathtaking vitality. Danse Macabre begins with moving into a darkened tunnel. It ends with the final curtain falling as you try to catch your breath. You have been shaken. The core of yourself has resonated with every haunting frame. And they haunt because they are of such devastating beauty that watching it felt like having fireworks shatter your heart. – Shane Belcourt