Hebden Bridge Web

Wednesday, 19 February 2020

And Then We Danced to close Hebden Bridge Film Festival 2020

And Then We Danced is a 2019 Swedish-Georgian drama film directed by Levan Akin.

The film is a passionate and beautiful coming-of-age tale about forbidden love in the Georgian ballet. Set within the conservative confines of modern Tbilisi, the film tells the story of a competitive dancer. His world is turned upside down by the arrival a new dancer with a rebellious streak who becomes both his rival and object of desire.

The screening of the film in Georgia sparked protests, due to the story about a gay love affair. In a country where homosexuality is taboo and attacks on LGBT people are common, protests against the screening of the film turned violent.

Internationally And Then We Danced has been widely acclaimed. It was screened in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. It was selected as the Swedish entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards. The film won the Best Feature Film category at the 2019 Iris Prize Festival and collected a range of accolades at the Guldbagge Awards (the Swedish Oscars).

It takes place on Sunday 29 March, 5.30pm at Hebden Bridge Picture House. The film is presented in partnership with Happy Valley Pride.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with special guests.

The 2020 Hebden Bridge Film Festival will take place from Friday 27 to Sunday 29 March with new films from the UK and around the world.

Louise Wadley, Hebden Bridge Film Festival director said, "This will be a beautiful way to close out Hebden Bridge Film Festival 2020. This stunning love story explores concepts of identity, sexuality and self-expression. We need to come together to embrace this film and its core message of love and acceptance."

Tim Whitehead, Happy Valley Pride chair said: "Happy Valley Pride is proud to be partnering gain with Hebden Bridge Film Festival to present this beautiful and powerful film. It is a poignant and timely reminder of how fortunate we are to live somewhere that truly celebrates LGBT+ life."

British comedy-drama film Misbehaviour has been announced as the opening film of the 2020 Hebden Bridge Film Festival (See HebWeb News, 3 Feb). Further films will be announced in the next few weeks ahead of the full programme launch on Friday 6 March.

Further films will be announced in the next few weeks ahead of the full programme launch on Friday 6 March. Film passes for the 2020 festival (providing access to all screenings and events) are available at www.hebdenbridgefilmfestival.org. Individual film tickets will be released on Friday 6 March.