Awards (click to collapse)
International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), The Netherlands (1998) – Winner: Silver Wolf
Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards, Australia (1999) – Winner: Best Documentary
Australian Film Institute, Australia (1999) – Winner: Best Documentary; Best Editing in a Non-Feature Film
Australian Film Institute, Australia (1999) – Nominated: Best Direction in a Documentary
The conflicting passions of Hephzibah Menuhin’s remarkable life are laid bare in this insightful portrayal of an unacknowledged musical genius. Hephzibah toured the world giving concerts with her celebrated brother Yehudi before marrying an Australian sheep farmer at 18. Her eloquent letters, illustrated by home and archive footage, and interviews with family members, narrate her progress from a young bride, bursting with received notions of love, to an ardent feminist whose crusade for social justice drives her to London and into the arms of a Viennese sociologist. In the end, it is a tragic triumph. Hephzibah’s health buckles under the weight of insupportable ideals just as her musical ability reaches its apogee. A poignant and profound portrait of a musical prodigy sacrificed on the wrong altar.
Previous Festivals
International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), The Netherlands (1998)
