Duende Flamenco Festival 2023: Filmmakers

Date: Thursday, November 16–Sunday, November 19, 2023
Films will be screened continuously from 10 am to 5:30 pm.
Price: FREE

Enjoy a selection of films for free in the Bellerive Room during this year's Duende Flamenco Festival. Learn more about the filmmakers below.

Flamenco Sin Fronteras
Ghost Lake

Flamenco Sin Fronteras is a Singapore-based non-profit organization dedicated to bringing together dancers from all over the world in a melting pot of dance, music, and friendship. The organization believes that dance is more than just an art form — it is a platform for individuals to express themselves freely on the path to artistic excellence. 

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Shraddha Danielle Blaney and Simon C. Vaillancourt
Phénix | Al-Kimia

Shraddha Danielle Blaney is a dancer and choreographer who specializes in flamenco and dervish dance. In 2022, she created the choreography for the film "Phénix | Al-Kimia." During the same year, she produced Convivencia, a show where flamenco and Arab Sufi music meet. Active on the professional dance scene for several years, she develops research activities to fashion a distinct language of her own. It is by letting her artistic abilities roam free that her creative potential emerges and allows for her truth to be spoken through the merging of the two art forms.

Simon C. Vaillancourt directed magazines, commercials, and short films before moving to documentaries. Over the years, he has directed many series, as well as the documentaries "Voler sa vie," "Stanley Vollant : de Compostelle à Kujjuaq," and "La vie devant moi." He aims to delve into the human soul, grasp the essence of people, shoot real life outdoors, face the unexpected, shoot polished images, be moved, move others, and create films that provoke reflection. Camera in hand, drone on his back, he also directed and produced four travel documentaries presented in theatres.

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Laura Sánchez
AFTER DARK

Laura Sánchez, an award-winning flamenco artist and educator from Cádiz, Spain, weaves her personal journey as a Spanish-speaking immigrant and mother into interdisciplinary flamenco performances. Trained at the Dance Conservatory of Madrid, she holds a Professional Certificate in Expressive Arts Therapies. Sánchez, a soloist with accolades, is also a sought-after choreographer for institutions like Boston College and Massachusetts Government. Her recent production, Flamenco at Starlight, marked a vibrant post-Covid-19 reunion for the flamenco community. During the pandemic, she created the award-winning short film AFTER DARK, reflecting the resilience of a community impacted by the global crisis. 

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Farnaz Ohadi
Yar

Iranian-born Farnaz's musical journey led her from singing in her homeland to pursuing Operatic vocal training, Persian folk singing, and Flamenco cante in Canada. In 2012, she founded the "Mashregh Ensemble," fusing Persian poetry with Flamenco music.

Her debut album, "Bird Dance," released on October 1, 2016, earned her a Canadian Folk Music Award for "Solo World Music Artist of the Year." Following a successful Canadian tour in March 2019, she released her second live album. The third album, "Azadi, Libertad," debuted in 2021, and a collaboration with a Spanish team anticipates her fourth release in fall 2023.

Farnaz's single, "Yar," released in April 2023, garnered acclaim, and its music video is currently featured in eight international film festivals.

Learn more about Farnaz Ohadi
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