Yanvalou
Short Films, 19-Apr-2019
An awkward computer programmer learns to dance to impress his next-door neighbor. With “Yanvalou,” director Angeline Gragasin highlights a dichotomy of cultures — one centered around movement and expression; the other, a digital startup environment that's no less sterile for its balls for chairs and VR headsets. The playful visual storytelling is aided by a rich soundscape and pulsating music but no dialogue, and presented with vibrant compositions and choreography. After being mesmerized by seeing his neighbor dance in her apartment, the programmer, played by the deadpan Ikechukwu Ufomadu, tries his luck in her dance class. The film toggles back and forth between the studio class, where he struggles to keep up with the pulsating Afro-Caribbean rhythms, and his office job, where he struggles to keep his eye on the screen. It’s an ode to movement, built with knowing insider frustration about the soul-killing digital corporate environments we call modern life (read more here about Gragasin’s background and inspiration). As the programmer starts to learn the moves, his face lights up with the thrill of human connection. Writer, Director, Producer: Angeline Gragasin. Starring: Ikechukwu Ufomadu, Rachel Wyman, Julio Jean, Caroline Golum. DP: Tine DiLucia. Editor: Sebastian Diaz Aguirre. Executive Producers: The Bureau of Creative Works. Production Design: Ryan O'Toole. Costume Design: Angela Harner.