ENJOY THE FRAMING MÉNERBES TRAILER

What is the film about? Click to read below.

OCTOBER 15, 2025 
THE FIREHOUSE STAGE JOHNSON CITY, NY
6PM RECEPTION 7PM SCREENING
8PM CONVERSATION WITH GUEST FILM SCHOLAR ELI HORWATT AND THE FILMMAKER
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OCTOBER 25, 2025
THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN, ANN ARBOR, MI
4:30 DOORS OPEN 5PM SCREENING
6PM CONVERSATION WITH FILM ARTIST CHARLI BRISSEY AND THE FILMMAKER
THE EVENT WILL BE FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
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NOVEMBER 2, 2025
CINEMAPOLIS, ITHACA, NY
3PM SCREENING 4PM CONVERSATION
WITH FILM ARTIST CHRISSY GUEST AND THE FILMMAKER
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THE MAGIC OF MÉNERBES WITHOUT FLYING TO FRANCE

Framing Ménerbes frames a stunning village in Provence, its natural beauty of far-reaching vistas, mountains, vineyards, and the light for which it is known, taken in through the prism of choreographer, filmmaker, and dancer Daniel Gwirtzman, celebrating thirty years as a New York City company director in 2025. The film combines the vicarious excitement of a travelogue with a documentary-like portrait of an artist’s creative process, immersing the viewer into the picturesque landscapes, charming architecture, and beauty of dance. Daniel shot each frame of the film, capturing the dancer who has been with him the longest, himself! A dozen participants from the region joined as performers in this film which illuminates the inspiration to produce art. The film had its European (France) and US (NYC) premieres in June 2025.

ACCLAIMED CHOREOGRAPHER DONALD BYRD ON FRAMING MÉNERBES:

“I think the first thing I thought was how beautiful the place is and how lucky those people are to live there. And I also thought that you think it’s beautiful too. The beauty of the place was seductive but not in a kind of sinister way, it had a sweetness about the seductiveness of the place, and I thought that that’s what you were responding to, that emotional sense of a place, how you felt being there, how you felt being around and with those people, and in a sense it felt a bit like a valentine to them. And so I think that was an interesting way to engage with it. I’m an artist too. Most of us, we make things about ourselves. Not that I’m saying that ‘yourself’ was not in it, but you were sharing yourself in terms of how you perceived these people, and with us as a result. For that reason there are things about it that I found moving. I found it moving because you have a kind of generosity that way, with the people and the place. That generosity always moves me. I’m not a particularly generous person. So when I see generosity in other people I’m kind of touched by it. I was touched by that. You are, I would say, an abstract, non-linear thinker and the film is kind of an abstract non-linear piece. And what that does I think is it invites us as a viewer to make our own connections. And I like that. You don’t tell us what to think, what to feel, any of that stuff. And I really appreciate that.”