‘The White Crow’ opens at Cinema Art Theater May 24

Starting Friday, May 24, the Rehoboth Beach Film Society’s Cinema Art Theater will present the evocative drama “The White Crow,” about Rudolf Nureyev, the rebellious Russian ballet genius. “The White Crow” was directed by Academy Award-nominee Ralph Fiennes, with the young Ukrainian dancer Oleg Ivenko in a star-making turn as Nureyev.

A young man of just 22, dressed in a black beret and a dark suit, is flying from St. Petersburg to Paris. It is 1961 and Rudolf Nureyev, not yet the imperious figure of legend, is a member of the world-renowned Kirov Ballet Company, travelling for the first time outside the Soviet Union. Parisian life delights Nureyev, and the young dancer is eager to consume all the culture, art and music the dazzling city has to offer. But the KGB officers who watch his every move become increasingly suspicious of his behavior. When they finally confront Nureyev with a shocking demand, he is forced to make a heart-breaking decision, one that may change the course of his life forever, and put his family and friends in terrible danger. 

From Nureyev’s poverty-stricken childhood in the Soviet city of Ufa, to his blossoming as a student dancer in Leningrad, to his arrival at the epicenter of western culture in Paris in the early 1960s, “The White Crow” is the true story of an incredible journey by a unique artist who transformed the world of ballet forever. 

Screening times are 4 and 7 p.m., Friday, May 24; 7 p.m., Saturday, May 25; 3 p.m., Sunday, May 26; 2 p.m., Tuesday,May 28; 4 and 7 p.m., Wednesday, May 29; and 7 p.m., Thursday, May 30. Admission is $8 for members and $11 for future members. Customers are encouraged to purchase tickets online. If seats are available, tickets can be purchased at the theater starting 30 minutes prior to each screening.

 For more information on this series, other events, or to become a member, visit www.rehobothfilm.com or call 302-645-9095.