Film About Renowned Ballet Couple to Have World Premiere at 36th Annual Dance on Camera Film Festival, Lincoln Center, New York City

New York, NY (PRWEB) December 3, 2007 -- New York, NY, Date -- happy to be so? -- Yelena Demikovsky's documentary about renowned ballet (www.redpalettepictures.com) couple, Oleg Briansky and Mireille Briane, will have its world premiere at the 36th Annual Dance on Camera Film Festival on Thursday, January 3, 2008, 6:15 pm at the Walter Reade Theatre, 165 West 65th Street, New York City (www.redpalettepictures.com). The screening will be introduced by Demikovsky and the film's subjects, Oleg Briansky and Mireille Briane. It will also be shown on Saturday, January 5 at 1:00 pm.

"An affectionate and often funny portrait celebrating 50 years of a wonderful yin and yang partnership in classic ballet and married life," said Clive Barnes, senior consulting editor, Dance (www.redpalettepictures.com) magazine; chief dance, drama and opera critic, New York Post.

happy to be so? is a documentary about Oleg Briansky and Mireille Briane, former principal dancers, gifted ballet teachers, and a dynamic duet for more than 50 years.

Briansky, of White Russian (www.redpalettepictures.com) descent, and Briane, a Parisian, met in Paris. He was the principal dancer (www.redpalettepictures.com) of many established European ballet companies and hailed as "the most sought after male dancer of his time" by Ballet magazine. She was a principal dancer in France and "a born teacher." In 1963, Briansky's meteoric career was cut short by injuries. Soon after, the couple relocated to New York and established the Briansky Saratoga Ballet School, one of the most distinguished summer ballet academies in America and abroad.

The Brianskys also served as Artistic Directors of the Pennsylvania Youth Ballet from 1994 to 2006. The couple was chosen to chair the National Honorary Committee for the USA International Ballet Competition in 2006.

Briansky also works as a choreographer (www.redpalettepictures.com), stages ballets and gives master classes.

happy to be so... depicts the Brianskys as performers and narrators of their own life story, which is highlighted by exciting footage from the '50s and '60s. Piano music from ballet class weaves throughout the film as the score of their lives. The documentary (www.redpalettepictures.com) honors these two people whose personalities have complemented each other -- a couple that continues to work and is still vibrant with creativity, curiosity and humor.

Yelena Demikovsky (director/producer) Yelena Demikovsky is founder of Red Palette Pictures. Born in Russia (www.redpalettepictures.com), she has lived in the United States for 16 years. Demikovsky is a documentary filmmaker with a broad theatre background in the United States and Russia.

Demikovsky has directed three full-length documentaries -- Unity (in distribution), the award-winning The Story of Fenist and happy to be so? She recently finished her short narrative film, Shell, which received honorary mention in the Accolade Competition. Demikovsky is also working on I am Vera, about well-know Russian poet, Vera Pavlova (post-production) and And Then Comes the Glory... whose subject is Rudolf Nureyev (production).

Demikovsky has produced two symposia about Rudolf Nureyev -- one in New York (1997), the other in St. Petersburg, Russia (1998). She also contributed interviews and translations to four authors of Nureyev biographies.

Demikovsky has two masters degrees, one in theatre (Moscow, Russia), and another in video/TV (Boston, USA) and had taught theatre directing in Moscow.

The Dance on Camera Film Festival is co-sponsored by the Dance Films Association and Film Society of Lincoln Center (www.redpalettepictures.com). The festival is the oldest dance film/video festival in the world and has toured to 70 international venues.

The Dance Films Association is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to act as a go-between the user and makers of dance films.

The Film Society of Lincoln Center was founded to celebrate American and international cinema, recognize and support new filmmakers and enhance awareness, accessibility and understand of the art among a broad and diverse film-going audience.

Red Palette Pictures was founded by Russian-born producer/director/writer Yelena Demikovsky. Her aspiration has always been to make films about art, and her subjects are primarily people who are driven by a passion to create.

To arrange an interview with the film's stars and/or director:

Contact Leslie J. Yerman, msljy@lesliejyerman.com, 212-327-2107. For more info visit, www.redpalettepictures.com.

For ticket information, contact /www.filmlinc.com/wrt/wrt.html.

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