The 2007 Vancouver International Film Festival kicks off on September 27th, and it will mark a homecoming for Film grad Bertrand Normand.

Bertrand directed Ballerina, a documentary about dancers in the Mariinski Theatre (formerly the Kirov Ballet) while it explores the history and profound importance of ballet in Russia.

Ballerina originally aired in France on TV5, and, according to Bertrand, “Should come out in movie theatres in France and Japan before the end of the year.” VIFF is its festival debut. You can read more about the origins of the project here.

Surprisingly, Bertrand wasn’t a ballet aficionado before making the film. “Actually, ballet meant little to me before - it’s Russia and St. Petersburg which interested me first and then drew me to ballet and its performers,” he says. “I think ballet as an art and ballerinas tell a lot about the Russian soul and femininity.”

“Of course, it’s great to be selected in Vancouver and to come back, nine years after school. My year in Vancouver was probably the best and most fulfilling so far, and I still have many friends there.”