TRAILER
SYNOPSIS
CIRCUS DREAMS documents a year in the life of Circus Smirkus, one of the best traveling youth circuses in the world. The vibrant feature documentary immerses viewers into the lives of the 12 to 18 year old performers, capturing their intense work ethic, passion for performance, deep friendships and budding loves. With a heartwarming story and great characters, CIRCUS DREAMS is an inspiring testament to the power of youthful dreams.
SELECTED SCREENINGS & AWARDS
WINNER, Best Films4Families Feature Award @ Seattle International Film Festival
WINNER, Youth Jury Award @ SPROCKETS Toronto International Film Festival for Children and Youth
WINNER, Gold Award @ Parents’ Choice Foundation
WINNER, Indie Spec Special Recognition Award @ Boston International Film Festival
WINNER, Audience Choice Award @ Woods Hole Film Festival
WINNER, James Goldstone Award @ Vermont International Film Festival
WINNER, Best Feature Film @ Providence Children's Film Festival
WINNER, Best Independent Documentary @ Kids First! Film Festival
OFFICIAL SELECTION AT:
Arizona International Film Festival; Arlington International Film Festival; Belmont World Film Festival; Bay Area International Children’s Film Festival; Buster Copenhagen International Film Festival for Children and Youth; Children’s India Film Festival; Green Mountain Film Festival; Maine International Film Festival; Mill Valley Film Festival; Minneapolis-St Paul International Film Festival; Naples Film Festival; Newport Film; Portland Children’s Film Festival; REEL Dakota Film Festival; San Francisco Doc Fest; Sarasota Film Festival; Sonoma International Film Festival; St Louis International Film Festival; Toronto International Film Festival Family Weekend; Traverse City Film Festival; Tumbleweeds Film Festival for Children and Youth; WAM Boston Film Festival; Williamstown Film Festival; WRIF Film Festival
TEAM
Director, Signe Taylor
Signe Taylor, the Director of CIRCUS DREAMS, is a documentary filmmaker and media educator. Her first video, Greetings From Iraq, documented the effects of Operation Desert Storm and the international embargo on Iraqi families. Greetings From Iraq received the Gold Plaque at the Chicago International Film Festival, Juror’s Choice at the Charlotte Film Festival and a CHRIS Award. The video was broadcast on public television and used by many grassroots organizations.
In her work as a media educator, she collaborated with diverse teenagers to create videos about conflict resolution and substance abuse. She has also produced short segments for children’s shows on PBS and directed for C-Span. Her most recent film is IT'S CRIMINAL, a potent documentary about Dartmouth students and female prisoners. She received her BA at Barnard College at Columbia University and her Master’s in Communication from the Documentary Film Program at Stanford University.
Director of Photography, Erin Hudson
Erin Hudson, the Director of Photography for CIRCUS DREAMS, recently graduated from the Documentary Film and Video Graduate Program at Stanford University.
While a student, she directed, shot and edited 4 documentary shorts. Unhitched, her portrait of a community that transformed travel trailers into permanent homes, won a Student Academy Award, Outstanding Documentary at the Angelus Awards, and screened at the Telluride Film Festival. Afloat won Director’s Choice at Black Maria Documentary Film Festival and was selected for the Independent Lens Online Shorts Festival.
Learn more at www.rotationfilms.com
Editor, Peter Rhodes
A professional filmmaker and editor for over 20 years, CIRCUS DREAMS Editor Peter Rhodes is a recipient of the Dupont-Columbia Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism. He has edited over 40 documentaries for award-winning PBS series such as NOVA, Frontline and American Experience.
His work includes editing Nancy Porter’s NOVA show about Typhoid Mary, The Most Dangerous Woman in America, which received a Cine Golden Eagle and was a National Emmy Nominee. He also edited Bill Haney’s The Price of Sugar, about a charismatic Spanish priest fighting for the rights of sugar plantation workers, which won the Audience Award at SXSW, the Amnesty International Award and was short-listed for an Academy Award. His most recent work is editing Bill Haney’s The Last Mountain, which premiered at Sundance Film Festival in 2011 and is now screening in theaters across the U.S.A.
Composer Peter Bufano
After graduating from Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College in 1986, CIRCUS DREAMS Composer Peter Bufano traveled across the United States with Ringling performing thousands of shows. Eventually he decided to trade in his red nose and floppy shoes for an accordion. After a 2 year stint in Hollywood assisting feature film composers, Peter returned to the big top to compose 4 original circus scores and perform with shows such as Circus Smirkus, Ringling Brothers Circus, Bindlestiff Circus, and Big Apple Circus.
His 2005 score for Bindlestiff Circus was nominated for a New York “IT” award.
FRIENDS
