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Pina Directed by: Wim Wenders Featuring: Regina Advento, Malou Airaudo, Ruth Amarante Written by: Wim Wenders Being a fan of both documentaries and the work of German filmmaker Wim Wenders, I went into Pina with the hopes that my absolute distaste for modern dance might be tempered by some great filmmaking and an interesting story. Unfortunately, as Pina's tagline states, this is 'a film for Pina Bausch by Wim Wenders' and not a film for Jay Cheel. Be warned, if you don't like modern dance or ballet, Pina might not be for you. The film focuses on the work of its title character/subject, Pina Bausch. It seems Wenders assumes that most people watching the film might be coming in with a basic knowledge of Pina and her work. Either that or he simply doesn't care, which is sort of respectable I suppose. I personally had no idea...

Chicago – Wim Wenders has entertained audiences for over 40 years with his wide range of film subjects, both in narrative and documentary form. His latest film is the delicate and emotionally charged ‘Pina,’ an overview and exposition of his friend, the famous German choreographer Pina Bausch.

Born in Düsselforf, Wenders came upon film after dropping out of university in the mid-1960s. After moving in Paris to try his hand as a painter and engraver, he became fascinated with film, seeing up to five a day at the local cinemas. He returned to Germany and enrolled in the University of Television and Film Munich, and became a film critic for several publications. He became part of the New German Cinema movement at the end of the 1960s, and made his feature directorial debut with “Summer in the City” (1970).

Dancers in a Modern Setting in ‘Pina’

Photo credit: Donata Wenders for IFC Films...

Chicago – Director Wim Wenders, famous for his magical takes on life and love in “Wings of Desire” and “Until the End of the World,” brings that same enchantment through a 3-D documentary about a rebellious and unusual German choreographer named Pina Bausch in “Pina.”

Rating: 3.5/5.0

The film is hypnotizing and mesmerizing, more so for aficionados of the dance. Pina Bausch (now deceased) was a visionary in the use of organic elements and movement designed around those elements. The dancers work their activities within the framework, and create stage/screen pictures of uncompromising distinction. The 3-D work enhances these works, but not so much to make it necessary. What is on-screen is a tribute from one old friend to another, and it succeeds in that wonderful energy.

Pina Bausch was a practitioner of the Tanztheater, which means dance theater. Throughout the documentary, her works are performed, and then commented upon by...

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 15 films in the Documentary Feature category will advance in the voting process for the 84th Academy Awards. One hundred twenty-four pictures had originally qualified in the category.

The 15 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production company:

Battle for Brooklyn (Rumer Inc.)

Bill Cunningham New York (First Thought Films)

Buck (Cedar Creek Productions)

Hell and Back Again (Roast Beef Productions Limited)

If A Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front (Marshall Curry Productions, LLC)

Jane's Journey (Neos Film GmbH & Co. Kg)

Long Way Home: The Loving Story (Augusta Films)

Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory (@radical.media)

Pina (Neue Road Movies GmbH)

Project Nim (Red Box Films)

Semper Fi: Always Faithful (Tied to the Tracks Films, Inc.)

Sing Your Song (S2BN Belafonte Productions, LLC)

Undefeated (Spitfire Pictures)

Under Fire: Journalists in Combat (Juf Pictures,...

Up until last year, film festivals had always been a bit of a mystery to me. I had gone to a few conventions before and been shown advanced screenings of films, but to actually go to an event where all you did was watch films seemed a bit beyond my reach. Didn’t help either that I had never really lived in areas with affordable or frequent festivals. That is, up until last year when I was introduced to AFI Fest. They hooked me in with free tickets and the promise of engaging cinema from around the world. To say I had fun is a bit of an understatement. As the credits to the last film rolled, I decided that I would come back next year in a more professional manner and write about it.

Which brings us to now. AFI Fest 2011 Presented by Audi is a little over a...

Rating: 4.5/5

Writer: Wim Wenders (screenplay)

Director: Wim Wenders

Cast: Regina Advento, Malou Airaudo, Ruth Amarante

With the onslaught of dance films over the past few years, not only has the genre become fodder for lackluster attempts at feature filmmaking, but also, on the flip side, a great use of the 3D format. 3D has become something of a mainstay at your local theaters, but rarely has it jumped ship to the arthouse world. That is, until an arthouse auteur decides to jump on the dance film bandwagon.

Read more on Cannes 2011 Review: Pina...