The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences – an organization comprised of leading entertainment figures across all sectors of the television industry from over sixty countries – has just announced the nominations for the annual International Emmy® Awards. Among the nominees is Pianoforte, a documentary directed by Jakub Piątek and produced by Maciej Kubicki (Telemark).

The film is up for an award in the Arts Programming category. The winners will be announced at the 52nd International Emmy® Awards Gala in New York City, on Monday, November 25, 2024.

Pianoforte is the first Polish documentary film ever nominated for this prestigious award. So far, only two Polish movies have been recognized by the Academy. For Telemark, one of the leading film producers on the Polish market, this is not the first encounter with the International Emmy® Awards. In 2021, the award was won by the film Kubrick by Kubrick, co-produced by Telemark and co-financed by the Polish Film Institute.

Pianoforte is a suspenseful story of a group of young pianists participating in the legendary Chopin Competition. In the latest 2021 edition, 87 outstanding musicians qualified for Stage One. Several days later, only the best twelve made it to the final. The main characters come from all over the world, but they have one thing in common: their passionate devotion to playing the piano since their childhood. Their struggle is a truly emotional roller-coaster. As the pianists come of age, they must learn how to withstand the considerable pressure of rivalry. It’s the first time a film crew has been able to take such an intimate backstage peek at the National Philharmonic to show the competition pressure. Jakub Piątek accompanies his characters in their daily lives, showing a multidimensional picture of talented people with remarkable personalities. Additional filming took place in China, Russia and Italy.

The Chopin Piano Competition has been organised in Warsaw every five years since 1927. The live stream of the protagonists’ struggle was watched by 44 million viewers all over the world. It is the oldest international contest of this importance, which boosted international musical careers of such eminent pianists as Maurizio Pollini, Martha Argerich, Krystian Zimerman, Đặng Thái Sơn, Rafał Blechacz and Seong-Jin Cho. The Competition is a once-in-a-lifetime chance with only one winner. Still, judging from the protagonists’ reactions, the mere opportunity to perform in the Warsaw Philharmonic is a unique experience when their tears of exhaustion and despair are mixed with the joy of playing.

Pianoforte is directed by Jakub Piątek, whose feature debut Prime Time was screened at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival and is available on Netflix in all regions. His full-length documentary debut Pianoforte also premiered at the Sundance Festival, which was followed by a tour around such world festivals as CPH:DOX, It’s All True FF, Visions du Réel, Miami FF, Millennium Docs Against Gravity, and many others. The film was nominated for the International Documentary Association Award in the Best Music Documentary category. It won the Motion Picture Sound Editors’ Golden Réel Award and the Polish Eagle for Best Documentary of 2024 as well as Audience Awards at Visions du Réel and at Millennium Docs Against Gravity, and many other prizes. Pianoforte is produced by Maciej Kubicki, Telemark Ltd., responsible for the creative documentaries Over the Limit (2017) and The Wind. A Documentary Thriller (2019), both critically acclaimed and awarded at international festivals. The co-producers are HBO Max (Hanka Kastelicova), BBC Storyville (Lucie Kon), the Fryderyk Chopin Institute, the Mazovia Warsaw Film Commission and MX35. The film has been co-financed by the Polish Film Institute.

SEPTEMBER 2024