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The Violin Teacher

The Violin Teacher is a touching mother-daughter drama set in San Francisco, CA. It centers on issues about identity and why a secret itself can become irrelevant, but the fact that it is kept, not. Yet, it turns into a journey of self-discovery and redemption.

  • Barbara Diril
    Director
  • Barbara Diril
    Writer
  • Jonathan Samuel Brostoff
    Producer
  • Catherine Lerza
    Key Cast
  • Darren Joe
    Director of Photography
    Russian Roulette
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Runtime:
    19 minutes 54 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 31, 2015
  • Production Budget:
    17,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Red Epic Dragon 2:1
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes
  • Los Angeles CineFest
    Los Angeles, CA
    Official Selection
  • Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF)
    Providence, Rhode Island
    United States
    August 12, 2016
    World Premiere
  • Tiburon International Film Festival
    Tiburon, CA
    United States
    Semi-Finalist
  • Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival
    Providence, RI
    United States
    August 12, 2016
    World Premiere
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Barbara Diril

The Violin Teacher is Barbara Diril's The London Film School graduation film for her MA in Filmmaking. Barbara is a German-born Assyrian. She was a BFA Motion Pictures & Television student at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Her passion led her to London to complete her studies as a graduate student, and receiving a MA in Filmmaking at the London Film School. Growing up in Pfullendorf, a small town in Southern Germany, she developed an intense interest in films, particularly in the works of film director Martin Scorsese, and film editor Mark Goldblatt, who have been her biggest inspiration. Mark mentored Barbara throughout the making of her film.

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Director Statement

I’ve always been taught that family and the support for each other is very important, no matter what. But, with the story of The Violin Teacher I explore that even family can cross the limits. Although Clara is a loving mother, we discover that she isn’t as perfect as she seems. I wanted to point out that grown-ups too, specifically parents, sometimes make mistakes, and what a mother thinks is the best for her child, may not be.

Originating from Assyria, a country that doesn’t exist on the map and being German citizen, although clearly not looking German, I’ve sometimes wondered and questioned where I belong. Therefore I wanted to make a film not just about identity, but also self-discovery. We discover and explore that what defines where we belong doesn’t have to do anything with our race, origins, the languages we speak, but can be simply the love, from a mother. Moreover, that it’s never too late finding oneself, even as a middle-aged mother.

My hope is that The Violin Teacher will create an emotional experience for the viewers and educate them in their believes about where they belong and finding to oneself.