Obsessed with Light
OBSESSED WITH LIGHT pulls back the curtain on Loïe Fuller (1862-1928), a wildly original performer who pioneered modern dance though combining fabric and movement to develop a completely new kind of spectacle. Creating a dialogue between the past and the present, filmmakers Sabine Krayenbühl and Zeva Oelbaum delve into the astonishing influence Fuller's work has had on contemporary culture including artists like Taylor Swift, Bill T. Jones, Shakira, William Kentridge, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, among many others. “A rich tapestry of discoveries by a passionately devoted mover and transformer of light and shape,” (Eye On Dance) OBSESSED WITH LIGHT is a close study of a woman who became famous on her own terms – unapologetic about her body type, open about her sexuality, and protective of her signature, often mimicked, style.
The American creator of modern dance, Fuller (1862-1928) invented a completely new kind of spectacle which combined dance, fabric and movement. She also pioneered the ingenious use of electricity for the stage, even building a glass floor so that she could be lit from below. Anyone who has been to a rock concert has seen a modern version of her lighting designs. Fuller propelled herself into swirling abstractions that made audiences gasp and she immediately understood the importance of protecting her ownership of these innovations. Always struggling against a flood of imitators, Fuller was the first choreographer to attempt to copyright her dances and sued to protect her work as early as 1893.
Fuller shot to international stardom after performing at the Folies Bergère in Paris. Her rise to fame was intertwined with the very beginning of cinema and her Serpentine dance became an iconic subject for the earliest filmmakers like Georges Méliès and Alice Guy Blaché. It was also among the earliest footage ever to be hand-colored.
Cast
- Cherry Jones
DVD Features
Discs: 1
- "Obsessed With Light is effectively directed by Sabine Krayenbuhle and Zeva Oelbaum. They knit together historical footage with contemporary works inspired by Fuller. What unfurls is a rich tapestry of discoveries by a passionately devoted mover and transformer of light and shape. "
- "[M]esmerizing and alluring and haunting...."
- "Name one of Hyperallergic's 25 Best Films of 2024..."a lustrous tribute to the lesbian icon’s vision, Obsessed with Light juxtaposes archival footage with contemporary iterations of the Serpentine Dance, a genre she created. To see original footage of Fuller onstage, her whirring body a lambent flower, is to reconsider what makes dance — or any art form — 'modern.' "
- "Obsessed with Light moves beyond a mere biopic of Fuller, and into a definitive statement of how she and her work is still influencing the contemporary world around us."
- "Illuminates the groundbreaking artistry of dancer Loïe Fuller, who inspired the artists and intellectuals of her era—Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Auguste Rodin, Isadora Duncan, and Marie Curie—and continues to influence contemporary icons as diverse as Bill T. Jones, Taylor Swift, Shakira, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and William Kentridge."
- "Obsessed With Light is a meditation on artistic continuity, of how the past continues to inform and inspire the present. This is a lesson that always bears repeating, particularly in an era as ahistorical as our own."
- "Sabine Krayenbühl and Zeva Oelbaum’s visually illuminating Obsessed With Light has an impressive list of on-camera interviews... all sharing their insights on the significant impact Loïe Fuller’s creativity and innovation has had on them and their work."
- "[A] glorious film filled with wondrous things... knocked my socks off.... "
- "[I]t is both baffling that it took this long to tell Fuller’s story and comforting that finally great women pioneers like her are getting the attention they deserve."
- "Obsessed With Light is a captivating, well-edited and illuminating... documentary biopic on Loïe Fuller, an American dancer who revolutionized the art of modern dance and stage lighting. "
- "[T]he film, directed by Zeva Oelbaum and Sabine Krayenbühl, is a meditation on light and the enduring passion to create. "
- "The filmmakers beautifully depict how a person’s artistic legacy can live on even after their name has been largely forgotten."
- "“Obsessed with Light” should generate or renew interest in the dancer and her acolytes. "
Gallery
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Awards & Recognition
Grand Jury Prize
DOC NYC
Ad Hoc Docs Competition
Cleveland Int'l. Film Festival
Hamptons Doc Fest
Rome Film Festival
Dance on Camera Film Festival
Palm Springs Int'l. Film Festival
Le FIFA
FOCAL Awards
Best Use of Footage in a History Feature
FOCAL Awards
Best Use of Footage in an Arts & Entertainment Production
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