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Screening

Nigel Charnock, l'extraordinaire physicalité

Short films session during Geneva International Queer film Festival

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Graham Clayton-Chance (GB)

Courts-métrages

70 min.
vo : en / subtitles : fr
from 14 years old
Nigel Charnock (1960–2012) was one of the great dancers of the modern world. He was also a choreographer, company director, writer, and theater director, and sought to transcend the traditions and superficiality of dance. He was known for his remarkable displays of energy and physical commitment, as well as his masterful use of self-deprecating irony.
Graham Clayton-Chance met Nigel Charnock at the beginning of his career and gradually built up a rich archive of film footage about him. Here, he presents excerpts from seminal works.

My sex, our dance (1986)

This piece marks the birth of Charnock’s artistic identity, when he founded his company, DV8 Physical Theatre, with Lloyd Newson, as a radical duo. The physicality is violent, extreme, and deliberately uncomfortable: the two men explore the meaning of trust in a context of danger (AIDS, Section 28).
film created by Lloyd Newson and Nigel Charnock for DV8 Physical Theater (1986) — performers: Lloyd Newson and Nigel Charnock — extras: Liz Ranken and Phil Griffin — camera & editing: Carole Lamond

You (2015)

A reinterpretation of one of Charnock’s iconic solos, this piece is a physical and verbal burlesque comedy that reveals dark truths about love, sex, and relationships.

Still (2015)

An excerpt from the piece *Still* (2009) for Candoco Dance Company (a pioneer in inclusive dance), the film isolates a male duo in a moment of attraction and mistrust.

Lunatic (2020)

Lunatic (2009) explores nationality, gender, class identity, and gender fluidity, set against a collision of music from the 1930s–1950s and 1990s pop.

10 Men (2012)

Nigel Charnock was in the midst of creating *Ten Men*, an all-male play, when he passed away. The film captures the infectious energy of the rehearsals, revealing “a joyful immediacy.”

selected for the Berlinale, BFI Flare London, Lincoln Center, and MoMA

in partnership with Flux Laboratory

Dates and times

Thursday 15 October 2026

Event location

Location name
Cinémas du Grütli
Address
Rue du Général-DUFOUR 16, 1204 Genève - 1205 Genève
Accessibility

Prices and conditions

Price

Different prices from CHF 6.- to CHF 17.-

Age
From 14 to 99 years
Format
Online

Organiser

Proposed by
Festival Everybody's Perfect
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