“What Kovgan’s utterly transporting film does, through a thoughtful and dynamic combination of curated material and new performances, is radiate the rapturous power of dance.”
– Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter

Cunningham is a 3D immersive cinematic experience that traces legendary American choreographer Merce Cunningham’s artistic evolution over three decades of risk and discovery (1944–1972), from his early years as a struggling dancer in postwar New York to his emergence as one of the world’s most visionary choreographers. During a lifetime of artistic engagement with such collaborators as John Cage, Erik Satie, Radiohead, Robert Rauschenberg, Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, Benedetta Tagliabue, Rei Kawakubo, and over one hundred of the world’s leading dancers, Merce created a new dance technique and celebrated movement as the manifestation of being human and of being alive. The film’s 3D technology weaves together Merce’s philosophies and stories, creating a visceral journey into his innovative life’s work, as shared through 2D archival material (recordings, photographs, 16mm and 35mm footage, and home movies of performances, rehearsals, tours, and gatherings), evoking the atmosphere of the time. A breathtaking explosion of dance, music, and never-before-seen archival material, Cunningham is a timely tribute to one of the world’s greatest modern dance artists.
Rated PG. Director Alla Kovgan (Germany/France/US 2019) 93 min.