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How do you navigate a world that isn't always built with you in mind? From a young man discovering the world beyond his books to a celebrated pianist refusing to let a changing body silence her, this mix of six animated and unscripted short films explore the many ways people persevere.
Thirty years after her debut performance of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s "Piano Concerto No. 2", renowned South African pianist and professor Nina Schumann prepares to return to the stage to perform the piece again. This time, however, she faces a profound new challenge: diagnosed with focal dystonia (an involuntary muscle-spasm disorder) and Parkinson's disease, Schumann is gradually losing the technical skill that once defined her as a virtuoso. Despite this, her deep musical intuition and passion remain unwavering, fuelling her desire to keep performing.
"Concerto" follows Schumann through her final week of preparation for the concert, blending present-day footage with archival clips from her prime. This juxtaposition captures the transformation of an artist confronting profound loss yet finding renewed purpose in the realisation that while technique may fade, the soul of music endures.
- Runtime17 minutes
- LanguageAfrikaans, English
- CountrySouth Africa
- Subtitle LanguageEnglish
- DirectorJurg Slabbert
- ScreenwriterJurg Slabbert
- ProducerChristiaan Boonzaier, NIna Schumann, Jurg Slabbert
- FilmmakerCinematographer: Roxanne Dalton; Location Sound Recordist: Jurg Slabbert; Editor: Jurg Slabbert; Sound Designer: Morné Marais; Sound Mixer: Morné Marais; Colourist: Roxanne Dalton; Subtitler: Christiaan Boonzaier; Poster Designer: Graeme McCree
- CastNina Schumann
How do you navigate a world that isn't always built with you in mind? From a young man discovering the world beyond his books to a celebrated pianist refusing to let a changing body silence her, this mix of six animated and unscripted short films explore the many ways people persevere.
Thirty years after her debut performance of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s "Piano Concerto No. 2", renowned South African pianist and professor Nina Schumann prepares to return to the stage to perform the piece again. This time, however, she faces a profound new challenge: diagnosed with focal dystonia (an involuntary muscle-spasm disorder) and Parkinson's disease, Schumann is gradually losing the technical skill that once defined her as a virtuoso. Despite this, her deep musical intuition and passion remain unwavering, fuelling her desire to keep performing.
"Concerto" follows Schumann through her final week of preparation for the concert, blending present-day footage with archival clips from her prime. This juxtaposition captures the transformation of an artist confronting profound loss yet finding renewed purpose in the realisation that while technique may fade, the soul of music endures.
- Runtime17 minutes
- LanguageAfrikaans, English
- CountrySouth Africa
- Subtitle LanguageEnglish
- DirectorJurg Slabbert
- ScreenwriterJurg Slabbert
- ProducerChristiaan Boonzaier, NIna Schumann, Jurg Slabbert
- FilmmakerCinematographer: Roxanne Dalton; Location Sound Recordist: Jurg Slabbert; Editor: Jurg Slabbert; Sound Designer: Morné Marais; Sound Mixer: Morné Marais; Colourist: Roxanne Dalton; Subtitler: Christiaan Boonzaier; Poster Designer: Graeme McCree
- CastNina Schumann