CircusTalk recently partnered with our Nordic colleagues at Cirkus Syd to present a film series of Nordic circus films. The series was produced by Cirkus Syd’s Mie Jakobsen and the post show Q&A’s were curated by CircusTalk editor Kim Campbell. The plan was to offera diverse programme of motivational and honest films about circus arts and to engage the creators and audience in discussion about the work.

En Equilibré

The first film of 2021, En Equiilibre, was screened on 27-28th of February. Directed by Antares Bassis & Pascal Auffray, it looks at the career of Cirque Aital’sVictor Cathala and Kati Pikkarainen as they tour their show For Better or For Worse.

Cirkus Syd describes the film, “Amid sweat and dust, Kati and Victor have crisscrossed France and Europe for 15 years, performing. She is an acrobat, and he is her catcher. Despite the pressure of living and working together, Kati and Victor remain steadfast partners in work and in life, for the better or worse. Whatever their mood : the show must go on! Until their bond is tested with the arrival of a child that throws them off balance.”

After the screening, Cirkus Syd’s CEO Lina B. Frank, CircusTalk editor Kim Campbell and series producer Mie Jakobsen conducted a live Q&A with producer Céline Loiseau, director Antares Bassis and circus artists Victor Cathala and Kati Pikkarainen to discuss the making of the film and how it so movingly portrayed the challenges of adapting one’s life to change while on the road. The interview is interspersed with scenes from the movie.

Artist & director talk with Director by Antares Bassis, Cirque Aital’s Victor Cathala and Kati Pikkarainen & producer Céline Loiseau

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HYLKY

Next up in the series was HYLKY, a Finnish film by Flow Productions. Kim and Mie interviewed director Pirjo Yli-Maunula about this sight-specific, immersive work that weaves circus and multiple disciplines such as dance, live music and storytelling, to create a dreamscape around the concept of a shipwreck.

Cirkus Syd says, “​HYLKY is Finnish for shipwreck, an immersive, site-specific and multidisciplinary production by Flow Productions poses a fundamental question to its audience: What carries us forward as individuals and communities? A shipwreck takes us to questions of survival, reconsideration of values and hope. A disaster forces us to make new choices and re-examine our values. What do we base our hope on? What is the better tomorrow that we dream of?”

HYLKY aired March 20th-21st, and an after-show conversation continued in this interview with the director.

Director talk with Pirjo Yli-Maunula about HYLKY

The Circus Director

Last in the series and airing April 24-25th, this film explores the life and work of the circus director Tilde Björ­fors, founder of Cirkus Cirkör.

Cirkus Syd describes the film, “The Circus Director is a film about Til­de Björ­fors the director of a circus who faced her fears and threw herself into the unknown. She brought contemporary circus to Sweden twenty years ago and has since built up one of the world’s most successful contemporary circus companies.”

Visit the Cirkus Syd cinema page for a full list of the cinematic events. Tickets for The Circus Director can be purchased there for 50kr (about $6 USD).

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