Stink Films has added award-winning Slovakian filmmaker Adam Csoka Keller to its global directorial roster, marking the partnership with the launch of his short film, The Rite.
Created in collaboration with the Royal Opera House, Royal Ballet and Nowness, The Rite captures the passionate and primal culmination of dance troupe Culture Device’s residency. The first dance troupe of its kind, Culture Device is comprised solely of extraordinary dancers with Down syndrome. Starring actress Sara Gordy MBE, the troupe's performance marks the 106th anniversary of Stravinsky’s scandalous work “The Rite of Spring.” Encapsulating the revolutionary spirit of the original and the Ballet Russe, it aims to challenge perceptions of what classical ballet can be.
Daniel Bergmann, founder and president of Stink, said: “We are so proud that we have been able to collaborate on this very meaningful project. I’m blown away by the result: it’s very powerful to see dancers with Down syndrome performing so beautifully and emotionally in this incredible Stravinsky piece. The whole team was so focused and respectful; this collaboration with the Royal Opera House and Royal Ballet will remain one of the pinnacles in Stink’s history.”
Bergmann added, “When I first saw Adam’s work I was immediately taken: he is a real artist filmmaker who expresses himself in a unique way; marrying artistic theatrical elements with fashion, conceiving and creating original and emotionally powerful films. The Rite is a perfect example of this.”
With an aesthetic rooted in his Cold War upbringing, Keller has collaborated with some of the world’s most prestigious cultural institutions, publishers and fashion houses. Moving fluidly between genres, whether recreating the second summer of love for Gucci and Frieze, documenting post revolutionary Ukrainian youth as part of his ICA residency, examining state control and uniformity through fashion or bringing drag to the opera, there is always a strong social message.
Keller said: “Stink does not operate like every other production company in the world and nor do I as a director. In the past year and a half, while searching for the right partners, I was told to re-shape myself into a ‘replica’ of the director profile each production company has created for themselves. But at Stink, my unique world view and unusual approach to filmmaking were instantly appreciated by the entire team. And they have more than proven themselves with the endless support I have been offered in creating our first artistic collaboration (The Rite).”
The director’s powerful work has earned him several high-profile awards and festival selections, including Best New Director at the Fashion Film Festival Milano 2017 and LA Fashion Film Festival 2018, the Fringe Queer Film Fest in London, Shanghai Queer Film Festival, SHOWstudio Fashion Film Awards, the Austrian American Short Film Festival and Diane Pernet’s ASVOFF.
“Heretic” and “Maria” Set As Red Carpet Premieres At AFI Fest
The American Film Institute (AFI) has announced that Heretic, the psychological thriller starring Hugh Grant, and Maria, based on the life of opera singer Maria Callas starring Angelina Jolie, will round out the Red Carpet Premieres section at this year’s AFI Fest. The Heretic Gala Screening will take place on Thursday, October 24, and the Maria Gala Screening will be held on Saturday, October 26. The complete Red Carpet Premieres section includes the world premieres of Music By John Williams, Robert Zemeckis’ Here, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl and Clint Eastwood’s Juror #2. All Red Carpet Premieres will take place at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre. The full lineup for AFI Fest 2024 will be unveiled on October 1.
“At the heart of AFI Fest is an unwavering dedication to celebrating the best in global cinema--together,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI president and CEO. “We look forward to uniting artists and audiences once again to be inspired by the art form in a powerful sense of community.”
Heretic follows two young missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) who are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed (portrayed by Grant), becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse. The film is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods and produced by Stacey Sher, Beck, Woods, Julia Glausi and Jeanette Volturno. The film will be released nationwide by A24 on November 8.
Directed by Pablo Larraín, Maria presents a tumultuous and beautiful depiction of one of the world’s most renowned artists and reimagines the legendary soprano in her final days in Paris, as Callas (Jolie)... Read More