Australia / 2020 / 13mins / No dialogue

This short film was made just before COVID-19 hit. It was about the remarkable Eileen Kramer, 105 years old at the time of filming, still dancing (graceful dramatic movements mostly using the top half of her body), choreographing, writing stories, publishing books and drawing – she is possibly the oldest, most alive and creative soul around today. This film is a portrait of her life. She danced with Gertrude Bodenwieser in 1940s Sydney, an influential European choreographer of German expressionism, who played an important role in shaping early Australian modern dance. She toured around Australia and overseas for the next decade, then lived and worked in France and the US for the next 60 years, before returning to Sydney alone, at the age of 99. The film shows her process in creating a new dance in the style of Bodenwieser, it’s like stepping back in time, experiencing a living history.

Eileen lived through the 1918/19 Spanish Flu pandemic and now, during COVID-19, is still deeply committed to creating her art.