Info
A visually striking portrait of one of the most significant choreographers Jiří Kylián and his lifelong muse and love, Sabine Kupferberg. The film is a personaln reflection on human existence and the relentless passage of time. Through poetic and philosophical narrative, Jiří and Sabine explore their profound relationship to art, dance, and to one another. A poetic documentary by director Olga Malířová.
At the heart of their long-standing artistic collaboration are humor and tenderness, celebrating the meaning of creative expression, the fleeting nature of life, and the enduring ability to find beauty in its most fragile moments. Although Jiří has created countless choreographies for Sabine over the decades, this film marks the very first time in his career that he appears alongside her as a central protagonist. Set against the breathtaking landscape of the Dutch island of Terschelling, the film draws visual and emotional parallels between the cycles of nature and the cycle of human life.
A poetic documentary by director Olga Malířová captures the internationally acclaimed choreographer Jiří Kylián in the
creative process with his lifelong muse and dancer, Sabine Kupferberg. The film’s red thread is Jiří’s choreography, which spontaneously comes together in front of the camera. Although he has created many choreographies for Sabine over the past decades, this film marks the first time in his life, at the age of seventy- nine, that he appears alongside her as a main protagonist. They reflect on more than fifty years of shared artistic creation, touching on the meaning of life, the passage of time, aging, and vanishing.
The film was shot on the island of Terschelling in the north of the Netherlands. For Sabine and Jiří, the Dutch island, Terschelling, is a symbolic place, connected to the period in the 1970s when they both emigrated to the Netherlands. The atmosphere of the island is exceptionally magical and evocative. In the film, we watch its landscape transform in a unique light. The ebb and flow of the tide symbolize the uncertainty of life’s duration and the boundary between life and death. The film’s principal means of expression are its poetic cinematography and the music of Janáček, Debussy, Beethoven, Puccini, Tōru Takemitsu, Arne Nordheim, Luciano Berio, and other composers whose works Jiří Kylián has choreographed throughout his life.
The film will premiere at the Doc Edge Festival 2026 in Auckland, New Zealand.
Accessibility info
The West-End theater has 1 wheelchair-accessible seat, reservations can be made via kaartverkoop@oerol.nl.
Geef een stukje Oerol cadeau door een ‘Geef een toegift’-ticket te kopen, waarmee je met een kleine extra bijdrage een festivalbandje mogelijk maakt voor een ander die het goed kan gebruiken!