UK / 2019 / 15mins / Documentary, Dance film / English

Combining movement with documentary, The Circle is a bold and expressive portrait of David and Sanchez, two teenage brothers living in an East London housing project. Choreographer and filmmaker Lanre Malaolu invites them to discuss their relationships, stigmas they face, and mental health while interpretive dancers enter their neighborhood spaces, poignantly communicating these experiences.

Lanre Malaolu

Lanre Malaolu is a director and choreographer based in London, UK. Lanre was the choreographer and movement artist on The British Council film Dear Mr. Shakespeare, commissioned by The British Council and was selected for the Sundance Film Festival in 2017. Lanre was chosen as the overall winner of the Zealous Emerge Performance Prize, a nationwide search championing the UK’s best emerging performance artists. In 2016, he was the chosen choreographer for the inaugural Old Vic 12; a talent group supported by the Old Vic Theatre. Figure, a narrative dance film Lanre directed and choreographed won multiple awards including, Best Dance Short at the New Renaissance Film Festival, Audience Choice Award at the Lights Dance Film Festival in Toronto, and Best Narrative Short at Hackney Shorts - judges for this award included Esther Springer, Head of Drama Development, BBC. Figure was also selected for the BAFTA recognized Aesthetica Film Festival in 2018. Learn More