“The Invisible People” – screening of a documentary film directed by Alisa Berger

Date: April 20, 2026 (Monday)

Time: 7:30–9:00 p.m.

Location: PJAIT, Warsaw (Room B1)

The performance is part of the Butohpolis 2026 Festival.

The Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology in Warsaw invites you to a screening of the documentary film *Invisible People*, directed by Alisa Berger, presented as part of the Butohpolis 2026 Festival.

The award-winning film *Invisible People* (71 min, 2024) is an experimental documentary dedicated to Japanese butō dance—one of the most radical and poetic forms of contemporary performance art. The film was produced in France and Germany, and its world premiere took place at the prestigious CPH:DOX festival in Copenhagen.

The film follows butō dancers in Japan and Europe, taking the viewer on a hypnotic journey through a world of invisible bodies and gestures. Moving between documentary, performance, and art film, it creates a unique visual language in which the invisible becomes visible.

“Invisible People” is an experimental documentary film dedicated to the Japanese dance form butō. It features a series of film portraits of masters and performers, with a particular focus on Yoshito Ohno—the son of butō’s founder, Kazuo Ōno, who passed away during the making of the film. The production combines elements of Tatsumi Hijikata’s poetic and philosophical texts, the life stories of the protagonists, and a metaphorical journey in search of “invisible people.”

The film paints an intimate, multi-layered portrait of a unique form of contemporary dance that unfolds at the intersection of rebellion, eroticism, trance, ritual, meditation, and ancestral experience. Over time, it transcends the framework of an art documentary, becoming a universal story about life, its unpredictability, and its subtle connections.

The film has been screened at major film festivals around the world, including Hot Docs in Toronto, Docpoint Tallinn, and Cinedans in Amsterdam, and has won numerous awards, including an award for Best Experimental Film at the Istanbul International Experimental Film Festival.

ORGANIZER: THE "ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SKILLS" ASSOCIATION

CURATOR AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR: Sylwia Hanff

FESTIVAL WEBSITE: https://www.facebook.com/Butohpolis

PROJECT CO-FINANCED BY THE CITY OF WARSAW

Subsidized by funds from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage from the Fund for Promotion of Culture - a state earmarked fund, within the framework of the "Dance" program, implemented by the National Institute of Music and Dance.

The Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology is a partner of the event and a co-organizer responsible for promotion, providing space for the exhibition and supporting its communication efforts.