“Moving, philosophical, and also an excellent primer into
understanding why The Little Prince is loved by so many.
The values in the story transcend boundaries.”
— In the Seats.com
ANTOINE DE SAINT-EXUPÉRY’S TIMELESS CHILDREN’S BOOK,
THE LITTLE PRINCE, IS ONE OF THE MOST TRANSLATED
BOOKS IN THE WORLD…
FROM TIBET TO NORTHERN SCANDINAVIA, THIS ABSORBING DOC FOLLOWS THE BOOK’S PASSIONATE TRANSLATORS, WHO FIGHT FOR THE PRESERVATION OF THEIR OWN LANGUAGES
THE MIRACLE OF THE LITTLE PRINCE
Street Date: December 3, 2019
DVD/Digital: $24.95
From Director Marjoleine Boonstra, This Stunningly Shot, Inspirational Doc –
an Official Selection at IDFA and Hot Docs – Goes to the Far Reaches
of the Globe to Uncover Endangered Languages
SYNOPSIS
“The Little Prince”, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s celebrated philosophical children’s book, is one of the world’s most widely translated literary works. Originally published in 1943, the book’s enigmatic story of an angelic child who befriends a stranded pilot in the North African desert has been debated for years. Translated into more than 375 languages (more than any book but the Bible), “The Little Prince” has been embraced across a vast swath of culture, especially by people whose languages and cultures are endangered, and for them, this timeless tale of friendship, alienation, loneliness, and eternal life resonates, understood by those who are themselves outcasts and exiles.
In THE MIRACLE OF THE LITTLE PRINCE, director Marjoleine Boonstra visits the people who have translated this little masterpiece from French into Tibetan, Tamazight (North Africa), Sámi (northern Finland and Scandinavia) and Nawat (El Salvador). All of these languages are under threat. Passionately enthusiastic language researchers, teachers and translators talk about how the observations of an alien prince on earth are interpreted in their own culture. They also recall the first time they read the book, and, naturally enough, discuss the linguistic challenges they faced how do you translate water faucet if there’s no such term in your world? This original approach and the exquisite, calm cinematography allow for the telling of personal stories that are as bizarre, human and painful as the experiences of the titular prince. It’s a film that inspires wonder — a testimony to the imagination and the solace and liberation it offers.
Stuart Klawans of The Nation says, “Sitting in a world capital, writing in an English that’s spoken almost everywhere and is just as widely abused, it’s easy to despair of literature and to dismiss as sentimental the idea that a book might speak to people in many different conditions. Boonstra has evidence to the contrary. It’s worth listening to in Tamazight, Sámi, Nawat, Tibetan, or any tongue you can name.” And Richard Scott Larson of Slant Magazine writes, “In a world increasingly resistant to cultural exchange, the miracle of The Little Prince is how it’s become so universally beloved, and Boonstra’s film is a worthy homage to its passionate translators who’ve been so inspired by Saint-Exupery’s story about a boy whose open curiosity about our world makes us all see it anew, that they’ve committed to strengthening its roots through the act of translation.”
PROGRAM INFORMATION
Type: DVD/Digital (iTunes, Amazon, Vudu)
Running Time: 93 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen
Audio: 5.1 Surround Sound/2.0 Stereo
Language: English, Tamazight, Sámi and Nawat with English Subtitles
“That Pärt Feeling: The Universe of Arvo Pärt…serves to remind us of
what a treasure we have in this wonderful man and his astonishing music
that seems to emerge from a place and an era that the rest of us can
never find on our own.”
— Bondo Wyszpolski, Easy Reader News
“Arvo Pärt’s music is a house on fire and an infinite calm.”
— Michael Stipe
“Lovely”
— Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times
FILM MOVEMENT PULLS BACK THE CURTAIN ON
THE MOST CELEBRATED (AND PERFORMED) LIVING COMPOSER IN THE WORLD WITH AN ACCLAIMED DOCUMENTARY PORTRAIT
THAT PÄRT FEELING – THE UNIVERSE OF ÄRVO PART
Street Date: December 3, 2019
DVD/Digital: $24.95
From Director Paul Hegeman Comes This Intimate Doc Following the Brilliant, Reclusive Estonian Composer as He Collaborates with the Cello Octet Amsterdam
SYNOPSIS
Arvo Pärt is the most performed living composer in the world, but he is considered to be something of a recluse, and his person and work have rarely been documented on film.
In THAT PÄRT FEELING – THE UNIVERSE OF ÄRVO PART, home viewers get to know Arvo Pärt as an artist combining an incredible sensitivity with humor and energy in his work. His reputation stems from his deeply-held belief that it’s not through words that a great artist communicates, but simply through music. Though he may seem reclusive in his person, what he wants to say and what he means is written in notes.
Pärt is known for his minimalistic style that employs his self-invented compositional technique “tintinnabuli”. It is this harmonious, spiritual and minimalistic approach to music that forms the basis of THAT PÄRT FEELING – a feeling of wholeness, beauty and essence of being, embraced by millions of persons all around the world. Pärt’s intense collaboration with the Cello Octet Amsterdam is at the heart of this documentary, which sheds a bright light on Pärt’s universe. A universe not only inhabited by classical musicians like Tõnu Kaljuste, Candida Thompson or Daniel Reuss, but also by choreographers like Jiří Kylián, filmmakers like Alain Gomis and young musicians like Kara-Lis Coverdale. They are all looking for “that Pärt feeling.”
Pärt is known for his minimalistic style that employs his self-invented compositional technique “tintinnabuli”. It is this harmonious, spiritual and minimalistic approach to music that forms the basis of THAT PÄRT FEELING – a feeling of wholeness, beauty and essence of being, embraced by millions of persons all around the world. Pärt’s intense collaboration with the Cello Octet Amsterdam is at the heart of this documentary, which sheds a bright light on Pärt’s universe. A universe not only inhabited by classical musicians like Tõnu Kaljuste, Candida Thompson or Daniel Reuss, but also by choreographers like Jiří Kylián, filmmakers like Alain Gomis and young musicians like Kara-Lis Coverdale. They are all looking for “that Pärt feeling.”
PROGRAM INFORMATION
Type: DVD/Digital (iTunes, Amazon, Vudu)
Running Time: 78 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen
Audio: 5.1 Surround Sound/2.0 Stereo
Language: English, Dutch, German, French with English Subtitles
