With roots in the disco and early electronic music movements, dance music emerged, gleaming, in the final decades of the 20th century. In the 1980s, we witnessed the rise of house and techno from Chicago and Detroit, respectively. The 1990s then saw the explosion of rave in Europe and the United States. In parallel, and throughout the world, the way in which we danced together was being revolutionised.

As dance music moved from an experience exclusive to Black, Latino and LGBTQI+ communities into becoming part of the dominant culture, cinema continued to record its subcultures. Bringing the sonic and visual potentialities of the dancefloor to the big screen was an attempt at registering the intangible; filmmakers and visual artists sought to portray the freedom, self-expression and feeling of belonging that clubs could offer.

After Hours: Clubbing on Film takes a retrospective look at the evolution of dance music, using cinema to explore the way in which nightlife culture can transform personal moments into collective movements of vindication and emancipation.