This Beautiful Short Film Documents a Dance Troupe of Dancers with Down Syndrome

Stink Films has signed award-winning Slovakian filmmaker and director Adam Csoka Keller to its global roster, marking the partnership with the launch of an exceptional short film entitled ‘THE RITE’.

Created in collaboration with the Royal Opera House and Nowness, it captures the passionate and primal culmination of dance troupe Culture Device’s residency. The first dance troupe of its kind, Culture Device is a group comprised solely of extraordinary dancers with Down Syndrome. Starring actress Sara Gordy MBE, the piece marks the 106th anniversary of Stravinsky’s scandalous work The Rite of Spring. Encapsulating the revolutionary spirit of the original and the Ballet Russe, it aims to challenge perceptions of what classical ballet can be.

Daniel Bergmann, founder and president of Stink, said: “We are so proud that we have been able to collaborate on this very meaningful project. I’m blown away by the result: it’s very powerful to see dancers with Down syndrome performing so beautifully and emotionally in this incredible Stravinsky piece. The whole team was so focused and respectful; this collaboration with the Royal Opera House and Royal Ballet will remain one of the pinnacles in Stink’s history.”

“When I first saw Adam’s work I was immediately taken: he is a real artist filmmaker who expresses himself in a unique way; marrying artistic theatrical elements with fashion, conceiving and creating original and emotionally powerful films. THE RITE is a perfect example of this.”

Katie Lambert, Stink Films head of music and EP of Rising, added: “Adam is a unique and deeply gifted artist. His work reflects his fascination with the outsider in society; a topic he explores through a variety of communities and people — but always with sensitivity, insight and true authenticity. This interest is only matched by his beautiful aesthetic and scrupulous attention to detail. This combination of style and substance makes Adam a truly exciting film maker and we are thrilled to welcome him to Stink”.

With an aesthetic rooted in his Cold War upbringing, Adam has collaborated with some of the world’s most prestigious cultural institutions, publishers and fashion houses. Moving fluidly between genres, whether recreating the second summer of love for Gucci and Frieze, documenting post revolutionary Ukrainian youth as part of his ICA residency, examining state control and uniformity through fashion or bringing drag to the opera, there is always a strong social message.

A graduate of Central Saint Martins, he also remains close to the visual arts, working with the curators of Kunsthalle Basel for the last three years to create exhibition trailers to highlight their main show before the world renowned Art Basel. Conveying the essence of each exhibition, they are artistic pieces in their own right.

Adam said: “Stink does not operate like every other production company in the world and nor do I as a director. In the past year and a half, while searching for the right partners, I was told to re-shape myself into a ‘replica’ of the director profile each production company has created for themselves.

“But at Stink, my unique worldview and unusual approach to film-making was instantly appreciated by the entire team. And they have more than proven themselves with the endless support I have been offered in creating our first artistic collaboration and my newest film THE RITE.”