Trailer
Produced by British choreographer Jonathan Watkins, the film retraces the story of a boy and a bird with a heart broken by time, through dance, music, and graceful puppet play. Released to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the release of Ken Loach’s film Kes, Kes Reimagined is an adaptation of English author Barry Hines’s novel A Kestrel for a Knave. Set in the mining community of Yorkshire, this new interpretation of the literary classic, transposed into a choreographic work without words, shines for its highly creative sets and its stylistic and narrative prowess. This imaginative story, which takes viewers on a voyage with Billy Casper, addresses complex social themes that are still current today: the politics of education, human relations, and emotions such as anger, joy, sadness, love, and hate — feelings sublimated by the dancers’ grace and beauty. This poetic production, with its new and fabulous musical score, is a moving evocation of northern England.
Leeds International Film Festival, United Kingdom (2019)
| Director | Ross MacGibbon, Jonathan Watkins |
| Author | Ken Loach |
| Production | Fiona Morris, Martin Collins, Helen Spencer |
| Choreography | Jonathan Watkins |
| Cast | Phil Snowden, Anton Skrzypiciel, Barnaby Meredith, Kristen McNally, Chester Hayes, Dom Czapsk, Laura Careless, Tobias Batley |
| Cinematography | Mike Callan |
| Music | Alex Baranowski |
| Distribution | Sarah Fortescue |
| Designer | Daniel Denton, Ben Stones |
Marv Martin
Marv Martin
Marv Martin
Production
Ross MacGibbon
Ross MacGibbon makes award-winning films about dance. He is also a photographer.
Ross danced with the Royal Ballet from 1973 to 1986, since then he has reinvented himself as one of the world’s leading dance film-makers, whose work is regularly seen on British television. His film of MacMillan’s last ballet, The Judas Tree, won the 1998 International Emmy Award for Performing Arts and he has just won the prestigious 2013 Prix Italia for his Channel Four film, ‘Matthew Bourne’s Christmas’.
He has directed and produced over 75 performance films for, among others, the BBC, Channel Four TV, The Royal Opera House, The Royal National Theatre and The Mariisnky. He is currently directing his first documentary feature about the brilliant Ukrainian dancer, Sergei Polunin.
Biographical notes provided by the film production team
Ross danced with the Royal Ballet from 1973 to 1986, since then he has reinvented himself as one of the world’s leading dance film-makers, whose work is regularly seen on British television. His film of MacMillan’s last ballet, The Judas Tree, won the 1998 International Emmy Award for Performing Arts and he has just won the prestigious 2013 Prix Italia for his Channel Four film, ‘Matthew Bourne’s Christmas’.
He has directed and produced over 75 performance films for, among others, the BBC, Channel Four TV, The Royal Opera House, The Royal National Theatre and The Mariisnky. He is currently directing his first documentary feature about the brilliant Ukrainian dancer, Sergei Polunin.
Biographical notes provided by the film production team
Selected films:
La traviata (2019)
Scottish Ballet’s the Snow Queen (2019)
Kes Reimagined (2019)
Victoria (2019)
An American in Paris: The Musical (2018)
La traviata (2019)
Scottish Ballet’s the Snow Queen (2019)
Kes Reimagined (2019)
Victoria (2019)
An American in Paris: The Musical (2018)
Jonathan Watkins
Jonathan Watkins is a director and choreographer from Barnsley, South Yorkshire.
Credits include the World Premiere of Reasons To Stay Alive (Sheffield Theatres/ETT), 1984 (Northern Ballet) winner of best new dance production at The Southbank Sky Arts Awards, and KES( Sheffield Crucible Theatre). Silent Vision, Stop Me When I’m Stuck, As One, Diana and Actaeon (The Royal Ballet) and works for Texas Ballet Theatre, Yekaterinburg Ballet and Ballet Manila.
Film credits include Route 67, Sofa, Bunker and Imperfect Perfection. As Movement Director on Road (The Royal Court), The Machine(M.I.F), Coriolanus and Aristocrats(Donmar Warehouse) and People( National Theatre).
He created his first short dance film entitled Route 67 for The Slice Project in 2011. He directed and choreographed Sofa and choreographed Bunker for Channel 4’s Random Acts.
Biographical notes provided by the film production team
Credits include the World Premiere of Reasons To Stay Alive (Sheffield Theatres/ETT), 1984 (Northern Ballet) winner of best new dance production at The Southbank Sky Arts Awards, and KES( Sheffield Crucible Theatre). Silent Vision, Stop Me When I’m Stuck, As One, Diana and Actaeon (The Royal Ballet) and works for Texas Ballet Theatre, Yekaterinburg Ballet and Ballet Manila.
Film credits include Route 67, Sofa, Bunker and Imperfect Perfection. As Movement Director on Road (The Royal Court), The Machine(M.I.F), Coriolanus and Aristocrats(Donmar Warehouse) and People( National Theatre).
He created his first short dance film entitled Route 67 for The Slice Project in 2011. He directed and choreographed Sofa and choreographed Bunker for Channel 4’s Random Acts.
Biographical notes provided by the film production team
Route 67 (2011)
