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Crystal Pite: Angels' Atlas film image, director Chelsea McMullan

Crystal Pite: Angels' Atlas

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World Premiere

In February 2020, Angels’ Atlas premiered onstage to rapturous reviews, but it soon became the National Ballet of Canada’s final show before the pandemic shutdown; fittingly, when the company returned in November 2021, this ballet was the first that was performed. Crystal Pite: Angels’ Atlas brilliantly captures crucial moments of the ballet’s rebirth, from tentative disbelief, to the joy of reunion, to intense rehearsal and refinement. The documentary is a remarkable record of the creative process; in the retrospective context of global loss, the project acquires a ghostly, prophetic quality. What occurs on stage is nothing short of extraordinary—the unearthly lighting, the evocative music, and especially the bodies of the dancers, straining and stricken in sorrow. In a bold decision, the performance of Angels’ Atlas is shown in its entirety in the second half of the film. Sublime, moving, cathartic in its pulsing grief and meditation on mortality and transience, this documentary is one of the most moving pieces of art to ever be captured on film.

 

  Q&A Oct 2

 

Community Partner

Director
Credits
Country of Origin

Canada

Year

2022

Language

English

18+
64 min
Documentary Women Directors

Book Tickets

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Credits

Executive Producer

Barry Hughson, Karen Kain, Hope Muir

Producer

Sean O’Neill

Cinematography

Maya Bankovic

Editor

Lindsay Allikas

Director

Chelsea McMullan headshot, Ever Deadly co-director

Photo by Luis Mora

Chelsea McMullan

Chelsea McMullan (they/their) is one of Canada’s leading filmmakers. They make documentary, experimental narrative, and hybrid films that explore the work of leading international artists. McMullan’s features, including My Prairie Home (2013), a musical documentary about the pioneering transgender musician Rae Spoon, have premiered at Sundance, Toronto, True/False, and other leading international festivals. They have directed episodes of the documentary series This is Pop (Netflix/Crave) and In the Making (CBC). McMullan has also made numerous short films about and in collaboration with international artists such as Eileen Myles, Zhang Huan, Isabelle Marant, and Ken Lum.

Filmography: My Prairie Home (2013); Michael Shannon Michael Shannon John (2015)