Shot on location in Spitsbergen, Svalbard, North Horizon combines contemporary dance with the spectacular natural vistas of the high Arctic.
In a a silent world of wind, waves and ice, abandoned villages stand at the edge of the northern ocean, home now only to forgotten dreams and the wordless tales of the unknown departed. We touch, are touched, leave, and leave our mark – whether a footprint in gravel or the rusting bones of a faraway homeland, to remain for moments or for millennia under the cold and arid sky.
North Horizon explores these images through the enormous contrasts of scale between the moving human body and the seemingly still, boundless Arctic landscape – a unique artistic and environmental journey from the far edge of the world.

Thomas Freundlich (b. 1975) has worked as freelance choreographer and  dancer both in Finland and internationally, and has created some 40  works ranging from ensemble works to solos, opera and theatre  productions and dance films.

Freundlich graduated from the professional training program of the  Finnish National Ballet school in 2001, and has furthered his dance  studies in Boston and New York. In mime and movement theatre, his  principal teachers were Adam Darius and Kazimir Kolesnik.

Mr. Freundlich’s stage productions include Transit (2015), an evening-length contemporary dance work and ambient opera produced by Opera Skaala; Symposion  (2015), based on Finland’s national artist Akseli Gallen-Kallela and  featuring music by Kärtsy Hatakka and Rene Ertomaa, and performed by  rock band Waltari as well as the classical Maestria string quartet; and Untouchable (2016), a duet with dancer Minttu Pietilä.

Thomas Freundlich’s choreography includes several groundbreaking  projects that have combined contemporary dance with ABB industrial  robots. These include the evening-length Human Interface, for  two dancers and two robots, which was presented in 2012 at Finland’s  Zodiak Centre for New Dance; as well as several large-scale  event-choreographies utilizing both traditional six-axis robots as well  as latest-generation collaborative models that enable close-range  interaction with human performers. Mr. Freundlich also programs the  robots himself.

Mr. Freundlich is one of the leading practitioners in Finland’s  vibrantly growing independent dance film scene. He has created 13 dance  short films and has shot over 100 performance captures, trailers and  promo videos for Finnish and international dance companies, theatres and  independent choreographers. Freundlich’s dance short film work includes  Cold Storage (2016), which has, for the last three years  (2017-2019), been the most widely screened Finnish short film at  festivals worldwide. To date, Cold Storage has received 39 awards and has been selected by over 280 festivals worldwide. Freundlich’s latest film is Fram  (2019), a dance film and documentary co-authored with Valtteri  Raekallio and shot in the arctic wilderness of Spitsbergen. From 2012 to  2014, Freundlich and Raekallio were the artistic directors of Finland’s  Loikka dance film festival.

Mr. Freundlich’s work has been recognized with some 50 grants and  awards from foundations, arts councils and festivals worldwide,  including a three-year grant from the Arts Council of Finland 2011–2013.

More information

lumikinosproduction.com

freundlich.org