Argerich

The world-renowned pianists Martha Argerich and Stephen Kovacevich, two giants of classical music, are seen here under the scrutiny of their daughter Stephanie, now in her thirties and a mother herself.

Argerich is an warm, intimate and often funny family portrait that questions the relationship between a mother who is a quasi “goddess”, and a very private person, and her three daughters. Stephanie also uses the film to try to reconnect with her somewhat estranged father. Argerich explores with great subtlety the joys and difficulties of combining motherhood with an artistic career. A remarkable journey into the Argerich galaxy, with all its eccentricities, idiosyncrasies, problems, and, most importantly, love of music.

Rome Film Festival, Competition

Prix Italia, Music and Arts Documentaries section, International Competition for Radio, Television and Web, Turin 2013.

Locarno Film Festival, Swiss Section

Music Festival ‘Chopin and his Europe’, Warsaw, Poland

Golden FIPA, Biarritz International Festival of Audiovisual Programmes, 2013

Week Commencing 26.6.2015

Week Commencing 3.07.15

Stéphanie Argerich was born in Bern in 1975 and has Swiss, Argentine and Belgian nationality. The daughter of Martha Argerich and Stephen Kovacevich, she studied Russian in Moscow and then photography at the Parson School of Design in New York. She did several video training courses in Paris where she directed her first short films. Argerich is her first feature-length film.

Filmography

★★★★

'Evolves into something altogether more fascinating as the extent of eccentricity in the Argerich family is revealed...

Yet the real magnetic draw at the heart of the film is Martha - enigmatic, mercurial, unwilling to be defined as mother, wife, daughter or even woman - and her wild, dangerous, untamed music.'

Wendy Ide, The Times

★★★★

'A lovely, heartfelt thing.'

Tara Brady, The Irish Times

★★★★

'If you liked Sarah Polley's 2012 film Stories We Tell (another voyage around a dazzling mother) this documentary will hit the spot.'

★★★★

‘A warm, intimate, personal and often humorous portrait that explores the relationship between Martha and her three daughters.'

HUFFINGTON POST

★★★★

‘Interesting questions about maternal identity, and how it can both clash and dovetail with career and genius.’

IRISH INDEPENDENT

"A warm, loving portrait of the relationship between the celebrated pianist Martha Argerich and her youngest daughter, this affectionate documentary invites viewers into the intimacy of their home without any restrictions."

Dan Fainaru, Screen International

Norman Lebrecht, Arts Journal

‘Martha Argerich’s daughter Stéphanie has made a touching, intimate and funny new documentary about her mother. ‘

‘This personal film explores her mother’s love, life and extraordinary talent, and exposes the challenges of combining motherhood with a glittering concert career where everyone wants a slice of ‘Martha’.

Erica Worth, THE PIANIST

‘A great achievement, showing among other things both the humanness and humanity of Martha Argerich, while alerting the world to the film-documentary talents of her daughter Stephanie.’

Robert Cummings, CLASSICAL

“A total artistic and intimate success.”

Jean-Baptiste Morain, Les Inrockuptibles

“Remarkable”

Eric Dahan, Libération - The whole article (in French) is here

For film bookings please contact Colin Burch at Verve Pictures — [email protected]. Press resources are on the Press page.