Yuli

AroView: Rousing biopic of the Cuban ballet superstar Carlos Acosta, nicknamed Yuli by his father, who saw recognised his talent for dance and sent him to National Ballet School, despite his undisciplined childhood in impoverished Havana. He went on to become the first black dancer in some of the most prestigious ballet roles in the world.

Based on Acosta’s 2007 memoir ‘No Way Home’, adapted for the screen by Paul Laverty (THE OLIVE TREE, I, DANIEL BLAKE), this is a story that hits many thematic notes - family, sacrifice, masculinity, black identity, exile and the transforming power of art.

“Ballet fans will be richly rewarded, both by Maria Rovira’s emotionally charged choreography, and the archival footage of Acosta’s early pivotal performances.” ~ South China Morning Post.