Dance Films: Movements of Being

Festival
PÖFF Shorts 2025
Programme
Shorts Alternatives

What happens when bodies refuse to sit still—on motorbikes, in classrooms, in the metro, in worlds both intimate and apocalyptic?

These short dance films remind us that dance is not choreography pinned to counts, but the raw negotiation of being alive. Joy erupts in quirks and rhythms; trust hangs by a rope’s swing; tenderness mutates into awe, horror, laughter, revolt.

Here, movement is the present tense of existence: freedom pressing against sand, stone, skin, silence, schedule — reaching toward the horizon. These films do not decorate reality—they prod it, seduce it, resist it. They show us that to move is to insist: I am here, and so are you.

Screenings

Hall 2 Kino Artis
Screening091719 / Tantsufilmid: olemise liikumised
Q&A duration
Screening duration
Hall 1 Kino Artis
Screening121619 / Tantsufilmid: olemise liikumised
Screening duration

Films

Baltic premiere

West

Local title
Lääs
Original title
West
Director
Thomas Bos
Country
Netherlands
Year
2024
Programme
Shorts Alternatives

‘The past is just us in funny clothes’ Mike Tyson said once. He’s right. If you already know that during the making of a film, whilst on a motorcycle trip from the Netherlands to Ghana, you will never be able to capture and transfuse all the new impressions you encounter. What do you do? You dance. Over there. And you film the dancing.

Director
Thomas Bos
Runtime
Language
Dutch
Subtitles
English

Baltic premiere

Kielo

Local title
Kielo
Original title
Kielo
Director
Sinem Kayacan, Janina Rajakangas
Country
Finland
Year
2025
Programme
Shorts Alternatives

Kielo finds it hard to sit still in class. She takes a break venturing into the corridors of her imagination.

Director
Sinem Kayacan, Janina Rajakangas
Runtime
Language
no dialogue

Baltic premiere

Disco Rose

Local title
Disko Roos
Original title
Disco Rose
Director
Valerijs Olehno
Country
Poland
Year
2025
Programme
Shorts Alternatives

A vintage-style promo video for the Latvian music venue Daile.

Director
Valerijs Olehno
Runtime
Language
Latvian
Subtitles
English

Baltic premiere

On My Way To You

Local title
Teel sinu juurde
Original title
On My Way To You
Director
Astrid De Haes, Brecht Van Vliet, Jonathan Van Hemelrijck
Country
Belgium
Year
2025
Programme
Shorts Alternatives

Andreia Rodrigues and Miroslav Kochánek explore closeness through movement, seeking ways to come closer both physically and mentally. How can one (re)encounter the other? One possible answer: rope flow. They reinterpret this workout trend to seek connection, resulting in a physical duet where the performers strive to keep two heavy ropes in motion. The play that arises from this endeavor involves risk and physical exertion, yet the pursuit of a shared rhythm motivates them to persevere.

Director
Astrid De Haes, Brecht Van Vliet, Jonathan Van Hemelrijck
Runtime
Language
no dialogue

Baltic premiere

Jellymama

Local title
Jellymama
Original title
Jellymama
Director
Hertta Kiiski, Karolina Ginman
Country
Finland
Year
2025
Programme
Shorts Alternatives

A body emerges from a jellylike substance into a warped universe in which inside becomes outside and outside inside in an infinite loop. Ephemeral others appear and disappear, diving into, consuming and nourishing one another.

Director
Hertta Kiiski, Karolina Ginman
Runtime

Baltic premiere

Centrifrugal

Local title
Centrifugal
Original title
Centrifrugal
Director
Yifan Wen
Country
Estonia
Year
2025
Programme
Shorts Alternatives
Director
Yifan Wen
Runtime
Language
no dialogue

Baltic premiere

A Bird Named Mansour

Local title
Lind nimega Mansour
Original title
A Bird Named Mansour
Director
Jordy Dik
Country
Netherlands
Year
2024
Programme
Shorts Alternatives

Exploring a world where dreams are broken and innocence is lost, the film follows children fleeing broken homes in search of safety. Inspired by Maya Angelou’s words, “The truth is, no one of us can be free until everybody is free,” this poetic work highlights the journey toward freedom. Filmed at London’s Somerset House, it’s a collaboration between choreographer and filmmaker Jordy Dik, the Dutch inclusive dance theater company Compagnie Tiuri, and the renowned Hofesh Shechter Company.

Director
Jordy Dik
Runtime
Language
English

Baltic premiere

Contresens

Local title
Vastassuunas
Original title
Contresens
Director
Tizia Benmchich-Lanardonne
Country
France
Year
2024
Programme
Shorts Alternatives

One woman decides to go against the Parisian routine, and she can't help it.

Director
Tizia Benmchich-Lanardonne
Runtime
Language
no dialogue