Catapult Dance Choreographic Hub, based in Newcastle is a professional arts organisation for mid-career choreographers, emerging choreographers, multi-disciplinary artist, young people and the community
Directed by Ashley de Prazer and Cadi McCarthy, SCAR juxtaposes the strength and vulnerability of the human body against industrial and urban landscapes. Through contemporary dance, cinematic imagery and sound, the exhibition reflects on the traces humanity leaves on the environment—our scars on the landscape—and the resilience that can emerge from these marks. The works invite audiences to journey through the historic building, encountering intimate performances that respond to light, texture, history and place
Directed by: Cadi McCarthy
Cinematography: Ashley de Prazer
Performers/Collaborator: Jesse Murray
7 REASONS OF WHY
7 Reasons of Why is a vibrant, multi-disciplinary climate-action dance film created in Canberra that uses movement, storytelling, music, and community participation to explore the seven key drivers of climate change: fossil fuels, land use, agriculture, transport, energy, industry/waste and future energy systems. The film responds to climate action through an inclusive and emotionally resonant lens, bringing together First Nations artists, multicultural communities, elders, mixed-ability dancers, young people, renewable energy partners and sustainability-focused businesses to imagine pathways toward a more resilient future. Rather than relying solely on scientific explanation, 7 Reasons of Why uses dance and film to create emotional connection to environmental issues, helping audiences engage with climate awareness through lived experience, culture, movement, and storytelling. The project seeks to inspire practical action, emotional understanding, and collective responsibility in the transition toward net zero emissions. The film was created in collaboration with numerous sustainable businesses and climate action companies across the ACT.
Directors and Co Producers: Liz Lea and Tamzin Nugent.
Cinematography and Editing: James Hiscutt.
Music composed by Citizen Kay.
Performers include: the Chamaeleon Collective, Project Dust, BOLD Moves Taylor and Woden, Canberra Dance Theatre’s GOLD dancers and independent artists Mia Rashid, Liz Lea, Jahna Lugnan and Pascal Patsy.
tiny passenger
Sugar, give me sugar.
Choreographed & Performed: Amber McCartney
Cinematography: Ella Sowinska
Hoodie: Paula Levis
Mask & Prosthetics: by Amber McCartney
Created for: The Australian Ballet / Telstra Emerging Choreographer Initiative
AGAIN AND AGAIN
‘Again and Again’ is a short dance film that explores the internal landscape we return to in moments of contemplation. It moves through a psychological space that exists just beyond the conscious mind, where thoughts, memories, fears, and desires overlap and collide. The film engages with the idea of the “shadow self,” suggesting that identity is not singular or fixed, but layered, shifting, and at times fragmented. It reflects the multiplicity of who we are, the parts we present outwardly, and the parts that remain hidden, suppressed, or unspoken. Set within a dream-like world, the film blurs the boundaries between self and shadow, interior and exterior, reality and imagination. Movement becomes a way of navigating these overlapping states of being, tracing the emotional and psychological currents that surface in moments of introspection.
Directed By: Tyler Carney-Faleatua and Joshua Faleatua
Written By: Tyler Carney-Faleatua
Produced By: Threading Frames
Dancers: Tyler Carney-Faleatua and Helena May
DOP/Editor: Joshua Faleatua
Music By: Jesse Austin-Stewart and Elliot Vaughan
Special Thanks: Sara Faleatua, Daniel Faleatua, Demi Sefo, Edward Fabian
kuntyiri
kuntyiri was created for ngaratya (together, us group, all in it together) group exhibition curated by Nici Cumpston and Zena Cumpston. My work embodies stories of connection — to Country, to water, to kin. I have been interested in the use of shadow and reflection, as a marker of time passed, of those before us, and of Country holding our stories and knowledge. kuntyiri honours and reflects upon returning visits to Wilyakali and Barkandji/Barkindji Country. From childhood memories with family, to recent journeys together as a collective. My gestures speak softly, filmed against the incredible visions of Country. Dance has always been a way of sharing our knowledge and understanding, a cultural practice entwined with story and song. This work continues that practice, marking our coming together and sharing through dance. The choreography is an archive of memories, stories and sentiment — carrying immense love and also longing. I recall watching my shadows dance across the corrugated iron landscapes of Broken Hill, and feel the weight and smooth touch of a grindstone held.
Concept/Director: Adrianne Semmens
Co-director: Johanis Lyons-Reid
Choreography/ Performance: Adrianne Semmens
Composer: Amy Flannery
Cinematography/Editing: Johanis Lyons-Reid
1st AC: Sarah McDonald
Supported by Peter Abordi
kuntyiri was created for ngaratya (together, us group, all in it together) exhibition, curated by Nici Cumpston and Zena Cumpston, and commissioned by Bunjil Place Gallery.
A Delicate Hope: Searching for Lebanon’s Lost Princess
**A Delicate Hope: Searching for Lebanon’s Lost Princess** is a dance film documentary that uncovers a little-known chapter of Australian history through the story of one Lebanese-Australian family. Led by artist Nadia Milford, the film explores the experiences of Lebanese migrants who arrived in regional Australia and the legacies they left behind. Blending contemporary dance, poetry, archival research and documentary storytelling, Milford embarks on a personal investigation into her family history, guided by fragments of memory, family lore and historical records. Through intimate interviews with Lebanese-Australian historian Anne Monsour, Milford’s father Carl Milford and grandmother Gaybrielle Milford, the film reveals stories of migration, adaptation and community-building across generations. At the heart of the work is the search for Milford’s great-grandmother, Nadia Ward, whose life becomes a portal into broader questions of identity, belonging and cultural inheritance. Dance serves as a language for what cannot be found in archives alone, offering a poetic response to absence, memory and the complexities of tracing one’s roots. Moving between personal reflection and historical inquiry, *A Delicate Hope* invites audiences to consider how migrant stories shape the Australian landscape and how family histories continue to resonate across time. Rich in movement, memory and place, the film offers an intimate portrait of heritage while contributing to a deeper understanding of Lebanese-Australian history.
The film was a finalist for the Khallyrah Prize at North Carolina State University.
Directed by: Nadia Milford
Cinematography: Rhys Jones
Edit: Yaga Media
Audio Mix & Master: Shaun Clifford
Supported by: HOTA’s ArtKeeper Program 2023
BlackLux
BlackLux: Perspectives in Time Lapse is a multidisciplinary dance film inspired by the remarkable earthen architecture of the village of Tiébélé in Burkina Faso. Drawing from the village’s intricate geometric patterns, symbolic markings, and rich cultural history, the work explores the intersection of movement, architecture, memory, and identity through a striking visual language. Using black-and-white visual contrast and a large-scale PVC tape installation, BlackLux transforms space into a living canvas where architecture and choreography merge. The installation creates shifting pathways and bold graphic environments that invite audiences to reconsider how bodies inhabit, shape, and respond to space. As performers move through these high-contrast landscapes, the relationship between object, body, and environment continuously evolves, revealing new perspectives with every frame. The film gradually expands from the experience of a single moving body to the dynamic interactions of multiple performers, highlighting themes of connection, transformation, and collective presence. Through carefully composed cinematography and choreographed movement, BlackLux creates an immersive visual experience where time appears to stretch, compress, and overlap, encouraging audiences to see familiar forms in unexpected ways. At its core, BlackLux: Perspectives in Time Lapse is an exploration of storytelling through movement, design, and visual composition. It honours African architectural knowledge while embracing contemporary artistic practice, offering a poetic reflection on cultural heritage, spatial relationships, and the power of the body as a living archive. The work invites viewers into a bold sensory journey where dance, installation, and film converge to create a unique and compelling artistic experience.
Director and choreographer: Lucky Lartey in collaboration with Shane Rozario and Lucinda Clutterbuck, performed by Sophia Ndaba, Natalie Cunzolo, Angelica Osuji, Julian Chan, Courtney Allerton and Naomi Reichart.
Sound: Byron Mark and Jack Prest.
Videographer: Reilly Baker and Jack Prest
Sound: Byron Mark (Sound) in collaboration with Lucky Lartey, Shane Rozario, Lucinda Clutterbuck
Dance artists: Sophia Ndaba, Natalie Cunzolo, Angelica Osuji, Julian Chan, Courtney Allerton and Naomi Reichart.
BlackLux debuted as a 50 minute dance performance at Sydney Fringe Festival in 2022.
DHINAWAN: BEFORE SHE CUT HER WINGS
A powerful visual poem following a young emu’s journey through freedom, shame, heartbreak, and rebirth. After being torn down by her community, she rises with ancestral strength to reclaim her power, shape the land, and declare her beauty and sovereignty.
CHOREOGRAPHER, DANCER, SOUND & EDITOR: AMELIA JEAN O’LEARY
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR & VIDEOGRAPHER: ERICA DIXON
CULTURAL ADVISORS: AUNT SHELL & UNCLE TED
SUSTAINED DEFIANCE
Sustained Defiance is a long-form duo exploring physical languages of resistance, endurance, and unity in response to the climate crisis. Collaborating with her close friend Billie Wilson-Coffey, her sister and musician Freyja Hooper, and filmmaker Poppy Walker, Bridie Hooper investigated how risk, connection, and effort might be captured through texture, proximity, and expressioBridie Hooper is an award-winning circus and movement artist whose career spans over a decade of international touring (CIRCA, Polytoxic, Palazzo) and acclaimed independent works. She is known for pushing circus into bold new artistic territories, blending extreme physicality with poetic storytelling. This film was created as part of NORPA’s Dinner Party at the End of the World Creative Development program, which engaged 65 artists throughout 2025. NORPA (Northern Rivers Performing Arts) is regarded as one of Australia’s most significant regionally based arts organisations based on Bundjalung Country in the Northern Rivers of NSW.
Performers: Bridie Hooper and Billie Wilson-Coffey
Original Concept: Bridie Hooper
Composition: Freyja Hooper
Cinematography: Dominic Sullivan
Direction + Editing: Poppy Walker
Spirit of the Threshold River
Born from the devastating flood events of the Northern Rivers, Spirit of the Threshold River is a visceral dance film exploring the hidden currents of grief, memory, resilience and renewal. The work emerges from deep listening to the river as both witness and storyteller. Rooted in the riparian landscapes of the Clarence River and guided by Yaegl ecological knowledge and the Javanese philosophy of rasa, the felt connection between the visible and invisible worlds, the film conjures a River Icon: a living spirit carrying traces of what has been lost, what remains, and what continues to emerge through wetland vitality. Javanese Australian choreographer, director and dancer Jade Dewi Tyas Tunggal, whose transcultural works have been presented across the Indo-Pacific and beyond, worked with Northern Rivers dancers Janessa Dufty and Stuart Shugg, bringing together movement, ecology and ancestral memory. Through breath, improvisation and intimate physical exchange, they embody the river’s emotional terrain: a landscape of rupture and regeneration where trauma transforms into movement and the body becomes a vessel for collective memory. A haunting meditation on land, water and human connection, Spirit of the Threshold River invites audiences to experience the river not simply as a place, but as a living presence. Created through NORPA’s Dinner Party at the End of the World Creative Development program, engaging 65 artists in 2025. Based on Bundjalung Country in the Northern Rivers of NSW, NORPA is one of Australia’s leading regional arts organisations, creating bold contemporary work that connects place, story and community.
Concept/Choreographer/Director: Jade Dewi Tyas Tunggal
Producer/Director: Poppy Walker
Cinematographer/Editor: Dominic Sullivan
Performers: Janessa Difty, Stuart Sugg, Jade Dewi Tyas Tunggal
Thank you to Yarrawali Birrinba, Uncle Fox Laurie, and the Yaegle Traditional Owners Corporation for their permission and support to film on Country.
Rhythmic Polarity
An exploration of the clash between natural and industrial worlds, through choreography, score and cinematic techniques.1.
Cast: Amalia-Grace Thompson, Darby Rosenbaum, Harry Haggar, Isha Constable, Jasper Clark Otis Lauder, Perdi Brydon.
Director/DOP: Alfie Tait
Creative Collaborators: Beth Lane and Jarrah Cattlin
DAFFODILS
A deeply personal and artistic investigation of pain and healing that embraces the complexity of individuality and the transformative power of shared human experience. Daffodils invites viewers to witness the inner struggles and interconnectedness made visible by movement and the profound power of human connection, offering a space for reflection and compassion toward both ourselves and others.
Director/Choreographer: Sophie Barbarics
Dancers: Mikayla Osborne, Sophie Barbarics, Lia Kajari Music: Julian Loic
Camera: FMRL Production
Edited by FMRL Production
Producer: Sophie Barbarics and TolOne Art Group
THE BEAST
“No love”, Bryn James. The Beast is the classical figure of the villainous winged sorcerer from the ballet Swan Lake. Byrn’s interpretation draws on his fascination with characters that transform, such as wolverines, and the Beast from Beauty and the Beast. These figures are the outcast and ugly image of evil unable to break the spell and find true love.
Bryn’s variation expresses Rothbart’s immense power, the heaviness of his burden and consequential loneliness. Bryn first created a dance solo for the work in development, ‘Scenes from a Swan Lake’, by Golden Thursdays, a dance company based in Lismore, NSW. This short film captures the inner life of the character Bryn has authored. We observe the ordeal of transformation and reckoning with the man and the beast.
Filmed in April 2026 in Paris, France, this film was made during a month-long professional development opportunity and supported by the Ian Potter Cultural Trust and the Center National de la Danse (CND). Paris based film maker Amelie Marandet and Sydney based Composer James Peter Brown respond to Bryn’s solo material and expanded embodiment of his creation in this new context of an ancient tunnel in a forest on the outskirts of Paris.
