Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Wilkinson.
Amy, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Several years ago, I was pregnant and working on a dance film with my friend, Aaron Greer (a filmmaker and educator here in Chicago). A few perfectly timed visits including one from a Loyola University alum who was studying dance film for her graduate program, and another by the former Dance Films Association President, Greg Van der Veer, inspired Aaron, a few other colleagues from Loyola, and me to call a weekend of events a “dance film festival”. After the success of that endeavor, we realized that there was no similar platform in the city and we decided to fill the gap. So – the In/Motion Dance Film Festival was born shortly after my son.
Chicago has an incredibly rich dance scene and many choreographers are working in an interdisciplinary way that explores a relationship between the body and the camera. We wanted to support those artists, encourage collaboration, and to feature dance films investigating broader social justice issues. In/Motion will be celebrating its 5th anniversary this year and our mission remains to connect a socially conscious Chicago community with emerging, local, and internationally renowned artists who are innovators in the creation and presentation of movement-based artworks.
Has it been a smooth road?
One of the challenges of building a film festival is generating financial support. All the members of our executive team devote hours of unpaid labor to getting the festival up and running each year. In addition, we firmly believe that artists must be paid for their work, so it’s a priority for us to compensate guest speakers generously for the time they commit to the festival. Loyola University has been an incredible host and we benefit greatly from our relationship to the Department of Fine and Performing Arts, the Cudahy Library, the School of Communications and our Strategic Plan Committee; however, to be sustainable, we need to find external partners willing to come on board as funders. I think the lack of resources that plagues many artists and arts organizations is emblematic of a larger cultural perception that the arts are a luxury or peripheral to the necessities of life. In/Motion is here, in part, to change that perception.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the In/Motion Dance Film Festival story. Tell us more about the business.
I will say that I love the diversity and quality of our programming. We’ve been fortunate to host some of the most dynamic artists and arts advocates working today. People like Deana Haggag, the CEO of United States Artists; interdisciplinary performer, Jenn Po’ Chop Freeman; renown choreographer, Bobbi Jene Smith; and award-winning filmmaker, Celia Rowlson-Hall have been vital contributors to conversations about art’s role in making social equity a reality.
We’ve also partnered with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s Parkinson’s Project, led by the incomparable Sarah Fuller, to create space for conversations around adaptive dance and access for those with disabilities. Other I/M programming highlights work that explores environmental sustainability, LGBTQIA identity, and immigration issues.
A beautiful outcome of the 2018 festival was that we were able to make cash awards on behalf of our juried screening award winners to two organizations – one that advocates for prison reform through restorative justice and one that works to eliminate gun violence.
In all of this, what I’m most proud of is the relationships that are created when people are in a room together experiencing, practicing, making, viewing, or talking about art.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I don’t necessarily see dance film festivals as an “industry” per se, but I will say that with more artists working across disciplines, I believe that there will continue to be more exciting and unique opportunities for people to share the important work they are doing. The Mana Contemporary Body + Camera festival on the south side is an example of that. We need more representation of diverse perspectives and more visibility for artists in general. I see visionaries like Tara Aisha Willis at the MCA, Ginger Farley and her collaborators at the Chicago Dancemakers Forum, Susan Kerns with the Feminist Film Festival, High Concept Labs, Eugene Park at Full Spectrum Features, and Rob McKay at the Connect Gallery all doing amazing work that promotes a plurality of voices.
Pricing:
- Tickets to the In/Motion Dance Film Festival range from $5 for individual events-$25 for a weekend pass
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.inmotionfestival.com
- Phone: 773-480-3689
- Email: inmotionfestival@gmail.com
- Instagram: @in_motion_festival
Image Credit:
Avery House Photography
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