Beethoven’s NINE: Ode to Humanity

GUEST: Director, Larry Weinstein
In early 2023, filmmaker Larry Weinstein set out to make a documentary about Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. It was supposed to be about how far we have come in the two hundred years since it was written. But when world events pull Larry into his own film, the question becomes a deeply personal one. Beethoven’s NINE Ode to Humanity is a film about music, but also about war and hope. It follows nine unique individuals, including Ukrainian musicians, a deaf composer, a Polish rock star, a best-selling author, a legendary cartoonist and Weinstein himself, as they try to better understand the legacy of Beethoven’s Ninth, the composer’s own struggles, the inspiration music can provide and how humanity continues to look for hope even in the darkest times.

Preceded by SHORT FILM:

Escape: The True Story of Morris Schnitzer

2024 | Canada | Drama | 21min | English
Dir: Héctor Herrera

Fleeing Germany before the onset of World War II, Jewish teenager Morris Schnitzer assumes false identities, endures imprisonment, joins the resistance in Belgium and ultimately saves the life of the man who protects him, all in an effort to survive and regain his name.

SPONSORED BY:
Herb Auerbach
Rhona Gordon and Larry Barzelai
Nomi Kaplan and Gerry Growe
Ethel Kofsky and Don Rosenbloom
Carole and Lucien Lieberman
Michael Levy in loving memory of Ann Erhcke z”l
Barbara Small and Leonard Schein