BROKEN
A documentary by Lynne Spencer
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~ World premiere: Whistler Film Festival 2016 (WWF) ~
~ Official selection: Festival International du Film sur l'Art (FIFA) ~
~ Official selection: Canadian Film Festival (CFF) ~
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Can injury stop an artist? BROKEN is the extraordinarily intimate portrait of Simone Orlando, Ballet BC's lead dancer for twelve years. During rehearsals for a new ballet, Simone suffered an injury that was so severe she could hardly walk, let alone dance.
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Hiding her affliction with pain killers, she struggled on, but an MRI made it all too evident that hip surgery was required. “All the work and all the years, and for it to suddenly just slip away, it wasn't acceptable,” said Ms. Orlando. Simone fought for the chance to make a comeback, but at what price?BROKEN features absorbing interviews, intimate scenes of doctor's appointments, and stunning never-before-seen photos and footage of both rehearsals and Ballet BC's stage performances. This documentary is a profound study of the devotion and dedication that artists, performers, and even athletes and musicians bring to their vocation, and what happens when injury threatens their life’s work – and their identity.
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Story editing by Elizabeth Rusch
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