After starting a successful career as a photographer, Alex Prager made her début as a filmmaker in 2010 with “Despair”, which evokes the 1948 ballet film “The Red Shoes”. Her works, which have been exhibited in renowned galleries and museums all over the world, are carefully staged with a keen sense of drama, and they reveal a strong interest in movement, makeup and costume.


The artist, who is drawn to theatre and ballet, was thrilled to get to know the dance world from inside and contribute to a project which aims to keep the Paris Opera’s impressive classic tradition alive and make it relevant to the public. Her film for the “3e Scène” links a romantic perception of the ballet world with a resolutely modern perspective. Drawing on her own experiences on stage, Alex Prager imagines the evolution of the dance of a couple, the Paris Opera’s Étoiles Émilie Cozette and Karl Paquette, with a touch of fantasy. 

Written and directed by: Alex Prager; Featuring: Laurent Novis, Christine Amiot, Ludovic Wystraete; Producer: Jeremy Dawson; Production: Slowdance; Co-production: Opéra national de Paris; Executive producer: Juliette Lambert; Production manager: Yannick Dupas; Producers: Octavia Peissel, Josie Heiman; Director of photography: Ross Richardson; Costume Designer: Callan Stokes; Set Designer: David Bersanetti; Editor: Matt Chessé; Dance Coach: Sebastien Marcovici; Music: Nigel Godrich; Production Coordinators: Marie Alegre, Valentine Suc; Production Assistant: Louise Cortial; Stage Manager: Marc Le Campion; Sound Editor: Andrew de Cristofaro, M.P.S.E.; Sound Mixers: Mark Fleming, Robert Carr; Colorist: Tim Stipan; Sound Engineer: Damien Perrolaz; Chief Electrician: Michael Monod; Chief Machinist: Martin Desfossez; Art Director: Leslie Herzhaft; Set Decorators: Pascal Chevé, Thierry Doerflinger, Agnès Demaegdt; Special Effects: Jean-Pierre Barthes; Script Supervisor: Hélène Sevaux; Makeup Supervisor: Ossiel Ramos Abarca; Hair Supervisor: Sonia Duchaussoy; Dressmaker: Olga Papp; Costume Supervisor: Frédéric Cambier; Casting Director: Nicolas Lublin; Post-Production Producer: J.M. Logan