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New Film Bohuslav Martinů: A Czech in New York
Filmmaker Kees van Es is working on a new poetic documentary titled Bohuslav Martinů: A Bohemian in New York, which traces the composer’s years in America and the evolution of his musical language. The project draws on archival materials and modern technology.
The film follows the period beginning with the composer’s arrival in New York in 1941, when, as a refugee from Nazi-occupied Europe, he began to rediscover himself in an unfamiliar world. The documentary is not intended solely for classical music experts. It is a human story about what happens when a person is stripped of everything familiar – and how art can transform loss into something lasting.
Kees van Es worked for 28 years as a creative professional in Hong Kong and now lives in the Netherlands. To complete the project, he launched a fundraiser on GoFundMe to help cover the necessary costs. The fundraiser is available here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/martinu.
You can learn more about the director’s vision and see clips from the film itself in a video that introduces the project and explains how the funds will be used: