Fanny: The Other Mendelssohn (PG)
Sheila Hayman, 2023 97m
Currently not screening
Please note a pre-recorded Q&A (approx. 20 mins) will follow each of the screenings. The Q&A is hosted by Sandi Toksvig (QI, The News Quiz) and will feature director Sheila Hayman and star contribuor Isata Kanneh-Mason.
The screenings on 26 and 30 November are presented in partnership with the Eastbourne Film Society.
Take a celebrated musical genius, sibling rivalry, an unknown manuscript, some persistent research and one sensational revelation – and what have you got? Fanny: The Other Mendelssohn – the acclaimed new doc from BAFTA-winning director Sheila Hayman featuring global Decca star and virtuouso pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason.
It reveals the extraordinary story of Fanny Mendelssohn, a composer long sidelined to her famous brother Felix by the guardians of classical music, who despite being forbidden a musical career, persevered, composing 450 works in her short life. Her lost masterpiece, The Easter Sonata, is here brought to life by Kanneh-Mason. As she explores the music, the parallels between her life and Fanny's – including the challenge of being a pioneer with few role models in classical music – become clear in this moving, joyous film.