Abramorama picks up North American rights to ballet documentary Make Work

Abramorama has acquired North American distribution rights to Make Work, a documentary about the New York Choreographic Institute, ahead of a theatrical rollout beginning March 5, 2027. The film offers rare access to New York City Ballet’s choreographic process and arrives as the Institute marks 26 years of developing new ballet work.

Why it matters: - Make Work puts a major ballet institution’s creative process on screen, with a focus on how new work is developed before it reaches the stage. - The film spotlights the New York Choreographic Institute’s role in nurturing choreographers and shaping the future of ballet. - Abramorama’s release gives the documentary a national theatrical platform ahead of its March 5, 2027 debut.

What happened: - AB2 Media Group and Abramorama acquired North American distribution rights to Make Work. - The documentary is set for a North American theatrical release beginning March 5, 2027. - The film world premiered at the 2026 San Francisco Dance Film Festival. - Make Work will also screen at the upcoming DOCNYC film festival. - The film is commissioned by the New York Choreographic Institute and directed by Linda Saffire and Adam Schlesinger.

The details: - Make Work is an intimate documentary set inside the studios and stages of the New York Choreographic Institute and New York City Ballet. - The film follows choreographers Harrison Ball, Sarah Foster-Sproull, Caili Quan and Houston Thomas as they create new work with NYCB dancers. - Each choreographer had two weeks to develop original work during the Institute’s residencies. - The film shows rehearsals as spaces for experimentation, refinement and abandonment of ideas. - Interwoven commentary comes from Kyle Abraham, Lar Lubovitch, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Justin Peck, Alexei Ratmansky, Pam Tanowitz and Christopher Wheeldon. - The film highlights George Balanchine’s continuing influence on New York City Ballet and on ballet’s evolution. - Make Work runs 95 minutes and is in English. - The credits include music by Philip Sheppard, editing by Anne Barliant and cinematography by Claudia Raschke, ACS. - Laura Johnson is executive producer. - Linda Saffire, Adam Schlesinger and Adrian Danchig-Waring produced the film. - The release is billed as an Abramorama North American release from A Got The Shot Films. - More information is available at the film’s website.

Between the lines: - The release positions the documentary as both an arts film and a behind-the-scenes portrait of institutional experimentation. - The focus on process over performance mirrors the New York Choreographic Institute’s mission to prioritize risk-taking and development. - The project also extends Abramorama’s recent run of nonfiction releases centered on cultural figures and event-style theatrical launches. - Saffire and Schlesinger bring festival-tested documentary credentials, including prior work on Restless Creature: Wendy Whelan. - Adrian Danchig-Waring’s involvement ties the film closely to the artists and leadership shaping the Institute today.

What’s next: - Make Work will continue its festival rollout with the DOCNYC screening before opening in theaters nationwide on March 5, 2027. - Abramorama is expected to market the film as part of its nonfiction theatrical slate. - The New York Choreographic Institute will continue under the leadership of Adrian Danchig-Waring and Sarah Marcus as it marks 26 years of supporting choreographic development. - New York City Ballet and the Institute are likely to use the film to widen public access to ballet-making and the artists behind it.

The bottom line: - Make Work turns the ballet studio into a theater-ready story about risk, collaboration and how new dance is made.