- Esfir Ross
- Dr. Drew Mays
- Clark Griffith
- Annette Dimedio
- Van Cliburn
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They Came to Play (2008/2010)
Opened: 08/13/2010 Limited
| Limited | 08/13/2010 | |
| Producers Club... | 08/13/2010 - 08/19/2010 | 7 days |
| Downtown Indep... | 11/04/2010 - 11/10/2010 | 7 days |
| DVD | 11/16/2010 |
Trailer: Click for trailer
Genre: Documentary
Rated: Unrated
Synopsis
Everyone has a passion, a secret dream; something they've always wanted to do. But how many people actually pursue that dream, and make it a reality?
Responding to a groundswell of interest from amateur pianists worldwide, the Van Cliburn Foundation in Fort Worth, Texas, renowned for its professional piano competition, created a competition for amateurs only which is held every four years. Seventy-five of the world's top non-professional pianists over 35 years old are selected to perform in three elimination rounds before a distinguished jury.
Emotional, funny, inspiring, irreverent and uplifting, They Came to Play is a featurelength documentary about the everyday people who compete in this event, who have achieved extraordinary levels of musicianship. Many had first trained as professional concert pianists, and because of limited opportunities, stiff competition, stage fright, other interests, bad luck, etc., pursued other careers as adults.
Wise, and eccentric, the competitors include a Moldovan-born dental assistant living in Oakland, CA, an African-American physician/Tango dancer living in New York, a Parisian retired national tennis player and coach, a first-time college graduate from a blue-collar family in Oklahoma, and a professor/ventriloquist living in Philadelphia. They have survived AIDS, cancer, political asylum, addiction, heartbreak, and all they struggle with the "normal" challenges of everyday life.
They share the love of music, and experience their playing as healing, both physically and spiritually. Their need to pursue their hobby at the highest possible level stimulates the universal question "What if I had been able to follow my first passion?"
The pianists travel to Fort Worth, where the competition runs for an emotion-packed week during which the protagonists, having revealed their colorful life stories and vulnerabilities on camera, perform under extreme pressure in three elimination rounds.
Van Cliburn himself appears in the film and offers uncommon pearls of wisdom. While interviewed by jury member Olga Kern, the exuberant young Russian pianist, he states: "the more you learn, the less you know…."
The film's soundtrack features the amateurs' stunning professional-sounding performances in a range of classic repertoire including Debussy's Clair de Lune, Beethoven's Waldstein Sonata, Schumann's Tocatta, and Schubert's Wanderer Fantasy. Lesser-known, yet equally accomplished works include selections from composers Cimarosa, Glinka, Sgambatti, Barber, and Alkan.
An Area 23a release, They Came to Play is an 88 Films production directed by Alex Rotaru, produced by Lori Miller, and executive produced by Ronnie Planalp. It features amateur pianists from all over the world including Esfir Ross, Dr. Drew Mays, Clark Griffith, and Annette Dimedio. They Came to Play's running time is 91 minutes.
