British Film Institute, The Red Shoes: Beyond the Mirror 
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10th November 2023 - 7th January 2024 

​In our new BFI Southbank exhibition, we immerse ourselves in Powell and Pressburger’s mesmerising 1948 production The Red Shoes. Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s classic fairy tale, it tells the story of a young woman whose desire is to become a leading dancer. Victoria Page (played by prima ballerina Moira Shearer) secures a transformative role at the Ballet Lermontov, that of a girl beguiled by a pair of magic red slippers. Gradually, the boundaries between fact and fiction blur as Page’s life intertwines with the feverish part she dances. Discover over 100 previously unseen costume and production designs, scripts, behind the scenes photographs and posters, alongside the iconic red ballet shoes featured in the film. The exhibition will also feature personal items owned by Moira Shearer and costumes from Matthew Bourne’s recent ballet adaptation.

​London-based artist Michelle Williams Gamaker was commissioned to create a new piece for the exhibition, exploring this early genesis of The Red Shoes story. Oberon (2023) responds to a photographic series in the BFI’s collection, taken at around the time that Korda was developing the script for The Red Shoes.

www.bfi.org.uk/features/red-shoes-moira-shearer-ballet-shoes-powell-pressburger

​The Red Shoes: Beyond the Mirror exhibition has been made possible due to generous support from the BFI Philanthropy Powell & Pressburger Consortium and Old Possum’s Practical Trust. Additional support has been provided by Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, Thriplow Charitable Trust and Idlewild Charitable Trust.