Elivira Lind and Sonntag Pictures' documentary film "Bobbi Jene" received three awards in the documentary competition at the Tribeca Film Festival, which announced the competition winners on Thursday, 27 April, at BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center in New York.
"Bobbi Jene," which enjoyed its world premiere at Tribeca, won Best Documentary Feature, Best Documentary Cinematography (Elvira Lind) and Best Documentary Editing (Adam Nielsen).
"Fulfilling the promise of classic cinema verité, where camera serves as both observer and provocation, this film connected two artists, filmmaker and subject, pushing nonfiction intimacy to bold new places," the jury motivated its choice of the film for the Best Documentary Feature.
The film follows the American dancer Bobbi Jene as she decides to leave behind her star position at the world-famous Batsheva Dance Company, as well as the love of her life, to return to the US to create her own boundary breaking performances. The film portrays the dilemmas and inevitable consequences of ambition and a woman's fight for independence in the extremely competitive world of dance.
"Bobbi Jene" is produced by Julie Leerskov and Sara Stockmann for Sonntag Pictures and has received funding from the Danish Film Institute and national broadcaster DR.
The film is also selected for Visions du Réel in Nyon (until 29 April), Hot Docs in Toronto (27 April – 7 May) and Docaviv in Tel Aviv (11-20 May).
Elvira Lind graduated from the CityVarsity School of Media and Creative Arts in Cape Town in 2005, majoring in documentary film directing. She made her directorial debut with "Songs for Alexis" (2014), which was selected for CPH:DOX and IDFA in Amsterdam. In 2015, she received a talent award at CPH:DOX.
Read more about the award winners at tribecafilm.com.
Watch trailer
Bobbi Jene
After a decade of stardom in Israel, American dancer Bobbi Jene takes intensity to a new level when she decides to leave behind her star position at the world-famous Batsheva Dance Company, as well as the love of her life, to return to the US to create her own boundary breaking performances. A love story, the film portrays the dilemmas and inevitable consequences of ambition. It is a film about a woman’s fight for independence and her attempt to succeed with her own art in the extremely competitive world of dance.
