Mrs Carey’s Concert
Producer: Music Films
Director: Bob Connolly, Sophie Raymond
Run time: 95 minutes
Production year: 2011
Available in HD
At an Australian high school for girls, music director Karen Carey coaches her young orchestra into delivering the performance of their lives at the Sydney Opera House.
Believing in the transformative power of music, Carey insists upon a classical repertoire. She sets a dauntingly high performance standard and requires the participation of every girl in the school. Carey inspires many of her girls, but some do not share her passion and are not afraid to say so.
Mrs Carey pushes her young charges to the edge of breaking point, and yet the journeys these young musicians make from teenage shyness to virtuoso display is both captivating and unexpected.
Mrs Carey’s Concert is about music-making and coming of age, about talent and courage, compliance and rebellion. Ultimately it is about what is possible when you strive rather than taking the easy way out.
Mrs Carey’s Concert is the 2nd highest grossing documentary in Australian box office history - grossing over $1 million during its theatrical run.
Available in HD
Festivals and Awards
Winner
Best Documentary, AACTA (Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts) Awards, 2011
Best Direction in a Documentary Feature, AACTA Awards, 2011
Best Documentary (History & Culture), Guangzhou Intl Documentary Film Festival, 2011
Official Selection
Edinburgh International Film Festival 2011
Sheffield Doc/Fest 2011
Documentary Edge Film Festival 2011
IDFA 2011
Reviews
“A glorious hymn to music and education… a riveting drama”
Variety
“Engaging… It’s impossible not to be deeply involved in Emily’s butterfly-like arrival from her adolescent cocoon.”
Screen International
“Lovely… An exceptionally revealing film about the transformative power of music.”
ABC Classic FM
“Richly anecdotal and consistently enthralling… well worth every exhilarating minute.”
Sydney Morning Herald
“A perfectly pitched and inspirational film to be enjoyed by the whole family.”
ABC Online
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