Alla Kovgan, director and writer of the film “Cunningham,” about the choreographer and dancer Merce Cunningham, is interviewed by host Richard Wolinsky.
“Cunningham” takes us from the 1940s to early 1970s in the work and career of Merce Cunningham (1919-2009), with many of his dances recreated in 3D. In this discussion, Alla Kovgan talks about the difficulty of translating dance to film, and of the use of 3D in her work. She also talks about Cunningham’s philosophy of dance, as well as of his personal life, and his relationship with John Cage.
Variety: “Shot in glorious 3D that makes the technical mode feel indispensable (like in Wim Wenders’ comparable dance documentary “Pina,” sure, but also Ang Lee’s “Life of Pi” and even James Cameron’s “Avatar”), Kovgan’s ode to choreography master Merce Cunningham is sensational in every sense of the word.”