documentary

VOYAGE TO THE OTHER - The Barenboim-Said AcademyIn production

Synopsis

The fall of 2015, a group of talented music students from across the Middle East will arrive in Berlin to begin a three year program at The Barenboim-Said Academy, a unique music conservatory designed pro bono by renown architect Frank Gehry. The Academy is the brainchild of Jewish conductor and pianist Daniel Barenboim, and based on Barenboim’s and late Palestinian literary critic Edward Said’s belief that listening to each other in music and in life is the first step towards an understanding of ‘the other’. Set against the backdrop of Berlin, a city with its own complex geopolitical history, the documentary VOYAGE TO THE OTHER will follow the first cohort of students from audition to graduation and capture the lasting impact the Barenboim-Said Academy will have on their lives.

Crew

Mirjam von Arx

Producer
Mirjam von Arx

After studying at the Ringier School of Journalism, von Arx worked for 18 years as an editor and freelancer for a number of German language magazines. In 1991, she moved to New York and together with Polo Hofer produced the road movie BLUESIANA. In addition to regular contributions to Swiss television, von Arx produced two documentaries for SF and Sat1. In 2001, she moved to London and started filming the documentary BUILDING THE GHERKIN. In 2002, she started her own production company ican films gmbh. In 2003, her first documentary ABXANG was theatrically released. In 2005, BUILDING THE GHERKIN (CH, DE, UK) followed. In 2006/7 she produced Thomas Haemmerli’s documentary SEVEN DUMPSTERS AND A CORPSE, with a theatrical release in 2007. The film won the Zurich Film Award 2007 and was nominated for a Swiss Film Award in 2008. Her documentary SEED WARRIORS was theatrically released during autumn 2010. VIRGIN TALES opened theatrically in June 2012 and amongst others, won the Zurich Film Award 2012. Von Arx latest feature documentary I’M ALIVE is currently being edited and will be completed in 2014.

Tanja Meding

Producer

Upon graduation with a degree in Psychology, Tanja Meding started working in the film industry in 1996. After working for an arthouse distributor and a postproduction facility, Tanja Meding was an Associate Producer at Berlin based Ziegler Films, where she worked with filmmakers such as Bob Rafelson, Amos Kollek, Jos Stellung, Petr Zelenka and Rosa von Praunheim, amongst others. In 2003 she moved to New York and has worked as a producer for Maysles Films as well as other independent production companies. She produced SALLY GROSS-THE PLEASURE OF STILLNESS by Albert Maysles and Kristen Nutile which premiered at the 2007 Locarno Film Festival and aired on WNET/Thirteen. In addition, she is the co-producer of Gabriella Bier’s LOVE DURING WARTIME, a documentary about an Israeli dancer and her Palestinian husband. The film had its US premiere at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival and is distributed by 7th Art Releasing in the US. Furthermore, she is the US co-producer of Pascale Obolo’s documentary CALYPSO ROSE, LIONESS OF THE JUNGLE which aired on PBS in 2012 and is distributed by Women Make Movies in the US. Since January 2012 Tanja Meding is a producer for ican films, Zurich.

Martin Heisler

Produktion

Nach einer Ausbildung zum Kaufmann für audiovisuelle Medien beim Westdeutschen Rundfunk (WDR) in Köln hat Martin Heisler Film- und Fernsehproduktion an der Deutschen Film- und Fernsehakademie Berlin (dffb) studiert.
Die Lichtblick Media GmbH wurde 2008 von Joachim Ortmanns, Carl-Ludwig Rettinger und Martin Heisler gegründet. Seit 2011 ist Martin Heisler der alleinige Gesellschafter.