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Knowledge is the Beginning- Daniel Barenboim and the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra
By Paul Smaczny, Germany, 2005, 90 min, Digibeta
September 12, 2007 6:30 PM
Post-screening panel discussion with Mariam Said and musicians Nicole Foster and Kinan Azmeh Mariam
Synopsis
World-renowned conductor Daniel Barenboim and noted literary scholar Edward Said have generated controversy and admiration with the founding of their West-Eastern Divan Orchestra in 1999, which Said called ‘one of the most important things I have done in my life’. A unique musical collaboration, dedicated to furthering mutual understanding in the Middle East, bringing together young musicians from both sides of the divide: Syrians, Jordanians, Egyptians, Palestinians and Israelis, the orchestra faces a myriad of political and administrative challenges. Indeed, as the political situation worsens in the Middle East, the film underscores the importance of such forums for dialogue and engendering empathy and hope, if not harmony.
Filmmaker's Biography
Paul Smaczny studied Law, French and German literature, Film and Theatre arts in Regensburg, Hamburg and Paris. In 1986, he co-founded the theatre and film production company Le Grand Nuage de Magellan. In 1995 he was appointed Vice President and Director of Music Production at EuroArts Music International, and its Managing Director in 2001. He has produced and partly directed more than 150 films and television programs throughout the world. He has captured some of the most important musical events of the last eighteen years, featuring such renowned orchestras and opera houses as the Staatsoper in Berlin, La Scala in Milan, the Salzburg Festival, the Berlin Philharmonic, the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, the Vienna Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra.
Festivals and Awards
• International Emmy Award, 2006
• FIPA D'OR Grand Prize in “Performaz Arts”, 2007
• DOCFEST Palermo, Documentary of Highest Cultural Value
• Banff World Television Awards Show, Best Arts Documentary
Print Source
Frank Gerdes
EuroArts
Tel: +49 341 140 84 21
Fax: +49 341 140 84 10
Email: f.gerdes@euroarts.com
www.euroarts.com
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