PIANOFORTE

REPRESENTED BY KFF

During the preliminary round, there are 160 of them. Then, about 80. Then 40. At last, only 10 lucky ones make it to the final. These are the contestants in the legendary International Chopin Piano Competition, held every five years in Warsaw, Poland. PIANOFORTE follows an eclectic group of young musicians from around the world who have prepared since they were children for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Offering a rare behind the scenes look backstage at the triumphant highs and crushing lows of competition, filmmaker Jakub Piatek (Prime Time, 2021 Sundance Film Festival) captures the intense pressure these musicians face in an experience that combines tears of exhaustion and despair with the ecstatic joy of playing. PIANOFORTE is both a testament to the power of remarkable music and an intimate coming-of-age portrait of young pianists navigating the rigors of competition, intense practice sessions, new friendships, lots of drama, and even more nerves.

 

GENRE:
documentary
COUNTRY:
Poland, Germany
RUNNING TIME:
89'
YEAR:
COLOUR:
colour
DIRECTING:
Jakub Piątek
SCRIPT:
Jakub Piątek
DOP:
Filip Drożdż
EDITOR:
Urszula Klimek-Piatek
MUSIC:
Teoniki Rożynek
SOUND:
Michał Fojcik, Anna Rok, Joanna Popowicz
PRODUCTION:
TELEMARK Sp. z o.o.
COPRODUCTION:
HBO Max, Fryderyk Chopin Institute, Mazovia Warsaw Film Commission, MX35, Arte, ZDF, Ventana Film

Jakub Piątek »

Born in 1985, he graduated from the Polish National Film School in Łódź. Before studying directing, he worked as a journalist and culture manager. His debut film, "Mother" (2009), produced by Wajda Studio, was screened at more than fifty international festivals and received several awards. In 2014 he completed the documentary "One Man Show", which premiered in Krakow FF and DOK Leipzig. In 2018, he made a short feature film "Users" (premiere in Krakow and Slamdance). In 2021, his full-length feature debut "Prime Time" premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, and it is available on Netflix platform in all regions. In 2021 he started teaching fiction directing (Polish National Film School).
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