Saturday April 28

7:00 pm

Colony

U.S, 2006, video, 96 min.
SOUTH FLORIDA PREMIERE

Directed by:
Ned Farr

Jane’s body is an athletic perfection, but her soul is nearly extinguished. 20 years ago, she was poised for glory as an Olympic gymnast. Now she’s vanishing into Southern California obscurity, a 43 year-old massage therapist who lugs her table from house to house, soothing the aches of self-centered clients. Her marriage is loveless, and she realizes, all too late, that she’s missed her chance to have a child. Then, in the unlikeliest of places, emerges hope. Jane is recruited to perform in a Vegas-style aerial ballet act, which reignites her athletic passion - climbing, wrapping and unfurling her body in a vast crimson curtain high above the floor. Her partner is Serena, a hard-edged Korean-American dancer whose knife fetish is just the beginning of her mesmerizing appeal. Soon enough, Jane’s having a sexual awakening, as well.

Drea Weber pulls us into every step of Jane’s re-blossoming – from a fog of despair all the way up to an exhilarating surprise finale. Addie Yungmee is equally splendid, masterfully juxtaposing Serena’s exterior swagger with internal struggle. Writer/director Ned Farr’s script is tight and graceful, making room for plenty of ravishing imagery of the performance itself, the women’s bodies interlocked, writhing sensuously and cocooned in fabric. Winner of 18 audience awards, The Gymnast is a rare and honest portrait of sexual and emotional self-discovery, an unforgettable reminder that coming-of-age can happen at any stage of life.

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Career Synopsis

Ned Farr is a graduate of the Film School at SUNY Purchase in New York.  He has directed music videos for various artists, including Jesse Hultberg,  The Blue Thumbs, and Plato.  Also a singer-songwriter, Farr has released three CD's of original music, Desert Motel, The Good Red Road and Indian Summer. His previous short films include Dream a Little Dream of Me(2002), How To Ace an Intervention(2004), The Contractor(2004)  and The Catcher (2005).  The Gymnast marks Farr’s directorial debut, to date the film has won 10 Best Feature Awards

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