Los Angeles is the largest (and one of the last) American cities to provide free and freely repaired musical instruments to its public schoolchildren, a continuous service since 1959. Witness the profound life stories of four staff master craftspeople and the students whose lives have been transformed by their instruments. For the students, music has been the continuous thread that has mended their hearts and brought them to where they are now. The film blends the unexpectedly intimate personal histories of the repair people with emotional, firsthand accounts from the student musicians for whom their instruments made all the difference. 

Academy Award® winner Ben Proudfoot (THE QUEEN OF BASKETBALL, CIFF 2021 & MINK!, CIFF 2022) reunites with Kris Bowers (together, they were nominated for Best Documentary Short at the 93rd Academy Awards® for A CONCERTO IS A CONVERSATION) to further dive deep into the world of sharing real-life stories about music. A beautiful and touching film that comes fresh off its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival mere weeks ago.

THE LAST REPAIR SHOP will be screened as a part of the SHORTS: BREAKWATER STUDIOS package.