PIANOFORTE

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: Germany, Poland
  • Running time: 89
  • Year: 2023
  • Color: colour

Director: Jakub Piątek

Script: Jakub Piątek

DOP: Filip Drożdż

Music: Teoniki Rożynek

Editing: Urszula Klimek-Piątek

Sound: Michał Fojcik, Anna Rok, Joanna Popowicz

Production company: TELEMARK Sp. z o.o.

Trailer

About the director:

Jakub Piątek

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).

Filmography:

2021 – Prime Time

2019 – Users

2016 – Sensory Analysis

2014 – One Man Show

2009 – Mother

At festivals:

Sundance Film Festival, 2023, USA, 2023 (competition)

40th Miami Film Festival, USA, 2023 (competition)

Wisconsin Film Festival, USA, 2023 (competition)

It's All True International Documentary Film Festival 2023, Brazil, 2023 (Special Mention)

CPH:DOX* | Copenhagen Int. Documentary Film Festival 2023, Denmark, 2023 (competition)

Sarasota Film Festival, USA, 2023 (competition)

42nd Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival 2023, USA, 2023 (competition)

Milwaukee Film Festival 2023, USA, 2023 (competition)

Visions du Réel International Film Festival Nyon 2023, Switzerland, 2023 (Audience Award)

38. DOK.fest München 2023, Germany, 2023 (competition)

49th Seattle Film Festival, USA, 2023 (competition)

DOCAVIV 2023 Tel Aviv International Documentary Film Festival, Isreal, 2023 (competition)

63rd Krakow Film Festival 2023, Poland, 2023 (screening)

22nd San Francisco Documentary Festival 2023, USA, 2023 (competition)

Nantucket Film Festival 2023, USA, 2023 (competition)

26th Guanajuato International Film Festival, Mexico, 2023 (screening)

18th Cinematik Film Festival, Slovakia, 2023 (screening)

Musikfilm Festivalen Copenhagen 2023, Denmark, 2023 (screening)

Screening at Haifa Cinematheque, Israel, 2023 (screening)

Vancouver International Film Festival 2023, Canada, 2023 (competition)

11th FIDBA - Buenos Aires International Documentary Film Festival, Argentina, 2023 (competition)

Philadelphia Film Festival 2023, USA, 2023 (screening)

21st In-Edit Music Documentary Film Festival 2023, Spain, 2023 (competition)

64th Festival dei Popoli, Italy, 2023 (competition)

64th Festival dei Popoli, Italy, 2023 (competition)

Screening at Docaviv Galilee 2023, Israel, 2023 (screening)

New Polish Cinema at the Irish Film Institute in Dublin, Ireland, 2023 (screening)

DocPoint – Helsinki Documentary Film Festival 2024, Finland, 2024 (screening)

DocPoint – Tallinn Documentary Film Festival 2024, Estonia, 2024 (screening)

Screening at Cinema Niche Series, Budapest 2024, Hungary, 2024 (screening)

21st Neisse Film Festival, Germany, 2024 (competition)

Screening at Cinema of Fondazione Prada, Milano, Italy, 2024 (screening)

15th Al Este International Film Festival, Peru, 2024 (screening)

Balinale 2024 - Bali International Film Festival, Bali, 2024 (competition)

VII Al Este International Film Festival, Colombia, 2024 (screening)

Docu.Text Film Festival 2024, Israel, 2024 (screening)

Festival Torroella de Montgri, Spain, 2024 (screening)

The Magnificent 7 European Feature Documentary Festival 2024, Serbia, 2024 (competition)

3rd Cayman Piano Festival 2024, Cayman Islands, 2024 (screening)

The Pigeon International Film Festival 2024, Iceland, 2024 (competition)

4th İzmir International Film & Music Festival 2024, Turkey, 2024 (competition)