Dancing Through Spaces: Stephen Page's Spear and Distribution for Art Films

A hypnotic, enigmatic piece of cinema revolving around dance and Aboriginality, Spear epitomises what it means to be an independent arthouse Australian film. But its journey to audiences has not been straightforward – so far, it has found itself restricted to consumption contexts characterised as highbrow or niche. Lauren Carroll Harris asks: how can event-style exhibition better entice viewers and enliven cinema-going for titles such as this?

Additional keywords: Indigenous, Hunter Page-Lochard, Bangarra Dance Theatre, Aaron Pedersen, event cinema, Sydney Festival.