“Pianoforte. The Series!” – behind the scenes of the Chopin Competition
The widely acclaimed and award-winning documentary “Pianoforte,” directed by Jakub Piątek, is getting a continuation. During this year’s edition of the Chopin Competition, filming will take place for a new series telling the story of its participants – young pianists from around the world.
The production will be a gripping portrayal of the competitors – young men and women aged 16 to 30 – as they step into adulthood. What unites them is a lifelong devotion to the piano. Their journey is an emotional rollercoaster: as they face the immense competition pressure, we will witness their preparations, performances and everyday lives. The series will reveal a multifaceted portrait of these artists, showing both their musical brilliance and their vivid, distinctive personalities. Filming is taking place across the globe.
The showrunner of “Pianoforte. The Series!” is Jakub Piątek, whose feature debut “Prime Time” was screened at the Sundance Film Festival in 2021. His first feature-length documentary, “Pianoforte” (2023), also premiered at Sundance and went on to receive several international and Polish awards, including the International Emmy Award, a prize from the Motion Picture Sound Editors (MPSE), a nomination from the International Documentary Association, and the Polish Film Award “Eagle” for Best Documentary.
The project also involves Marta Prus and Marek Kozakiewicz. Marta Prus made her debut in 2017 with “Over the Limit,” screened at more than 100 festivals worldwide and nominated for the Polish Film Award “Eagle.” Marek Kozakiewicz, a director and cinematographer also active in theatre, debuted in 2022 with “Silent Love,” awarded at the Millennium Docs Against Gravity festival.
“They say you can’t step into the same river twice… Yet we felt that many great moments were left on the cutting room floor when we worked on our feature documentary. At the same time, the world of the Chopin Competition still holds countless stories to tell – turning points we’ll witness firsthand. I’m thrilled that two outstanding documentary filmmakers, Marta Prus and Marek Kozakiewicz, have joined the project. Their participation brings diverse perspectives and a fresh look, while allowing for a broader, more digressive narrative – something particularly appealing in a serial format,” says Jakub Piątek.
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The Chopin Competition has been held every five years in Warsaw since 1927, followed by millions of viewers around the world. It is the oldest event of its kind, which has launched the international careers of such eminent pianists as Maurizio Pollini, Martha Argerich, Krystian Zimerman, Dang Thai Sơn, Rafał Blechacz and Seong-Jin Cho. The Competition is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: not everyone will take home the top prize, but the chance to perform on the stage of the Warsaw Philharmonic brings both tears of exhaustion and despair and the ecstatic joy of playing.
“Pianoforte. The Series!” is a co-production of Telemark and the Fryderyk Chopin Institute. The National Film Archive – Audiovisual Institute (FINA) is a co-producer. The production is co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. The series will premiere in 2027, marking the centenary of the first edition of the Chopin Competition.
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