Award-Winning Filmmaker Brian Lilla to Release Documentary BALLROOM CONFIDENTIAL, 2/11

Lilla Films is proud to announce the DVD/VOD release of the new feature documentary film Ballroom Confidential, directed by award-winning filmmaker Brian Lilla (Patagonia Rising, Tale Of Two Bondage Models), on Tuesday, February 11, 2014. Ballroom Confidential is an emotional ride that follows a group of vivacious senior women and their younger dance instructors, as they find a new life through ballroom dance. The film paints a portrait of a vibrant community that refuses to let aging and loss interfere with having a good time. Initial VOD release will be through Amazon and Vimeo. The film will also be available, at a later date, via iTunes and Hulu. The DVD will be available for purchase through the film's site at ballroomconfidential.com.

Ballroom Confidential illustrates the transformative power of dance on the lives of the students, as well as the instructors, at a Florida dance studio. Stunning images of these vital dancers in action are partnered with their poignant confessions on aging, losing life partners, and crossing the student-teacher line. Director Brian Lilla, captures how dance is improving the quality of life for seniors on many levels: the mental and physical challenges of perfecting routines has been proven as the TOP physical activity to offer protection against Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia.

When Lilla witnessed firsthand the impact that ballroom dance had on his mother's grieving process, after the loss of her husband and dance partner of 45 years, he knew something had changed. "I saw my mom dance at her weekly lesson with a man 30 years her junior and could see it was the happiest moment of her week," says Lilla.

His mother's response, "It's not just me. There is a huge community of widows here in Florida. Dance is the one thing we look forward to. It should be your next movie." Like any good Italian son, Brian listened to his mother and, six months later, the two teamed up to follow a Florida dance studio owner, his instructors and students, as they rehearsed for a show.

The dance studio owner, Caleb Young, has his own story of love and loss that makes him a perfect match for his mature partners. A former singer and drag queen performer in New York City, Caleb moved back home to Florida after 9/11, needing to rebuild his life. After his mother encouraged him to apply for a dance instructor position, Caleb found a new passion. He soon opened his own ballroom dance studio and found the demand overwhelming.

Following Caleb, choreographer Joe Mounts, and a group of rambunctious senior students as they prepare for a spy-themed dance performance, Ballroom Confidential is an emotional and often humorous journey into the heart of a community dealing with personal loss and finding renewed life through ballroom dance. With JoAnn Lilla producing and Brian Lilla shooting, the cameras follow the ladies for the two weeks preceding the opening night of In Search of the Daytona Diamond. A very different kind of ballroom documentary, Ballroom Confidential isn't a story about competition, but rather one of newfound passion for life through dance.

Brian Lilla, Director -
Director Brian Lilla sculpts intimate documentaries, often featuring marginalized people pursuing big dreams. In 2008, Lilla's Tale Of Two Bondage Models earned him a best documentary nomination at the Tribeca Film Festival. He followed up that film, in 2011, with Patagonia Rising, a multiple award-winning film that was acquired for distribution through First Run Features. The New York Times has described Lilla's work as "beautifully filmed and patiently explained," while Variety called it "intelligent and awe-inspiring." Motivated by his mother's journey into ballroom dancing, after losing her husband Richard, Ballroom Confidential is a new, intimate portrait of love and loss.

"In the beginning, my attraction to filmmaking came from shooting the imperfections of Super 8 film while capturing the experience of skateboarding empty pools. Sculpting a raw story that intimately captured illegal bloodstained adventures transported audiences to a forbidden world and impacted their perception of underground skateboarding. Immediately, I realized the impact of making stories. Since then, filmmaking has taken me from sex clubs in downtown Tokyo to climate change research on the Northern Patagonia Icecap. I continue to make movies because of the incredible impact that sharing stories can have on the audience ... and the world." - Brian Lilla

JoAnn Lilla, Producer -
Ballroom Confidential is Producer JoAnn Lilla's first foray into filmmaking. A former travel agent and current real-estate agent in Central Florida, JoAnn's lifetime of skills as a promoter, organizer and mother made producing look easy. She continues weekly ballroom lessons with Caleb Young at the Absolutely Ballroom Dance Studio in Ormond Beach, near Daytona Beach.

Photo credit: Brian Lilla

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