Prom Dance With Pamela Anderson

By Nerida Little / January 18th, 2012 in Film / New York / 950 views

The term ‘It Girl’ is overused. It’s often thrown around when describing waif-like young women with half an eye for fashion and a crusty old rocker father, regardless of their real-world credentials. New York-based Celia Rowlson-Hall goes beyond facile It Girl status. She is a Renaissance Woman.

She’s a dancer, a model, a choreographer, a director and an actress. But not in the way Britney or J-Lo are; she does it for real. Her short film Prom Night garnered official selection at the SXSW 2o11 film festival and the Rooftop Film Festival 2011 and has just been made available to view online.

The film is entirely shot with a handheld camera from the point of view of a boy. We walk with him into a school hall while Be My Baby is playing; he sees his beloved in a baby blue 1970s prom dress. They drink punch, slow dance, get undressed…. Wait. That’s where the film shifts and the girl (also played by Celia Rowlson-Hall) begins to act out a variety of iconic female roles.

Despite the fact that the characters are wordless, the simple and bizarre story line of the film speaks volumes on their behalf. The choreography is excellent and the music hits the right tones of romance and nostalgia. You can see more of Celia Rowlson-Hall in action both behind and in front of the camera in her fashion films for Keller and Alexandra Grecco.