Art imitates art in award-winning director/choreographer Dayna Hanson’s first feature, which earned a spot in Narrative Competition at SXSW in 2013. IMPROVEMENT CLUB fictionalizes the back-story of Hanson’s stage production, Gloria’s Cause, a show that addressed the ironies of American history. IMPROVEMENT CLUB addresses the pathos of the contemporary American artist in a surreal comedy that Backstage Magazine called “as good a representation of the dedication and tunnel vision required to make art as any ever filmed."
Dayna Hanson is a director and writer whose kinetic, minor-key aesthetic put her “Room 104” episode on top TV lists of 2017 in The New York Times, Hollywood Reporter and Vox.
Hanson’s newest feature is “Confession,” a crime thriller that explores how far a sexual assault survivor will go to compensate for the failures of the legal system. Written by Gregory Mulligan and produced by Yale Productions, “Confession" earned Hanson the “Best Female Director” award at Montreal Independent Film Festival in 2021.
Produced by Mel Eslyn, Hanson’s debut feature film, “Improvement Club,” premiered in Narrative Competition at 2013 South by Southwest Film Festival. Backstage Magazine called "Improvement Club” “as good a representation of the dedication and tunnel vision required to make art as any ever filmed."
A Guggenheim Fellow in Dance, Hanson’s entrée into film took place through dance: her first short film, “Measure,” co-directed with Gaelen Hanson and edited by the late Lynn Shelton, has been considered a seminal work in dance film since its premiere at New York Film Festival in 2001. Having screened at over 60 festivals worldwide, “Measure” can be found on First Run Features’ Dance For Camera, Volume 1.
