[ PRODUCTION IN DEVELOPMENT ]
When a Turkish-Jewish musician discovers the resilience of the Jewish composers,
who defied mortality in the camps by continuing to create music, the courage of these men become her guiding light in her fight to heal
at risk children through music therapy.
who defied mortality in the camps by continuing to create music, the courage of these men become her guiding light in her fight to heal
at risk children through music therapy.
Renan Koen, a renowned pianist, composer and music therapist, grew up in Istanbul listening to the tales of her grandmother who had immigrated from the Balkans. Years later Renan found out that most of her family who remained behind in what had become Greece were deported to Auschwitz and subsequently terminated. Being a Turkish Jew, she became interested in the life stories of her relatives who perished in the Holocaust. As she continued to research her family’s history, she came across stories of Jewish musicians who were interned in the Theresienstadt concentration camp. Consequently, Renan has worked with Shot Music Company in Germany to uncover the lost compositions of Gideon Klein, Pavel Haas, Viktor Ullmann and Zigmund Schul. As a result, she met Richard Wagner’s grandson Dr. Gottfried Wagner, who is a musicologist and shared her work to get some insight. Furthermore, Renan gave a concert commemorating the works of these four composers in Istanbul on April 16, 2015. Her curiosity led her on a journey that started in 2009 and continues to this day.
The idea of The Sound of Resilience came to Renan Koen and Binnur Karaevli when they worked together on The Eye of Istanbul, the biopic documentary about Ara Guler that Binnur directed. Renan Koen composed some of the music for that project. Renan who is a classically trained pianist and a composer also works as a music therapist in Istanbul. Renan's healing work with troubled children and youth caught Binnur’s attention, however, when she found out that Renan’s inspiration is the resilience of the musicians who perished during Holocaust, the idea of making a documentary took hold.
"Ever since I was a child, I have taken part in Holocaust commemoration services, during one of these events, I heard people talking about the Theresienstadt concentration camp and that the musicians interned there continued to compose and perform even during their confinement. I immediately started researching this matter. It took a long time for my research to bear some fruit. During this research I met relatives who had moved to the US because of the mass migration of the Jews after WWI and I found out that my grandmother’s nuclear family who stayed behind in Thessaloniki were all deported to Auschwitz and murdered there during WWII...Since 2009 I have been working on the music of the composers of Therezinstadt and the culmination of this work was a concert I gave in Istanbul in 2015. I would like to give a concert at the Therezinstadt concentration camp as well. The resilience of these composers inspire me and the fact that they continued to compose music under the worst circumstances encourages me. I always refer back to the struggle of these heroes when I help people through music therapy.”
Renan Koen
"Ever since I was a child, I have taken part in Holocaust commemoration services, during one of these events, I heard people talking about the Theresienstadt concentration camp and that the musicians interned there continued to compose and perform even during their confinement. I immediately started researching this matter. It took a long time for my research to bear some fruit. During this research I met relatives who had moved to the US because of the mass migration of the Jews after WWI and I found out that my grandmother’s nuclear family who stayed behind in Thessaloniki were all deported to Auschwitz and murdered there during WWII...Since 2009 I have been working on the music of the composers of Therezinstadt and the culmination of this work was a concert I gave in Istanbul in 2015. I would like to give a concert at the Therezinstadt concentration camp as well. The resilience of these composers inspire me and the fact that they continued to compose music under the worst circumstances encourages me. I always refer back to the struggle of these heroes when I help people through music therapy.”
Renan Koen
How could someone continue to compose music in a concentration camp? How could one find the strength and the courage to create in a place of suffering and death? When I met Renan Koen and discussed these questions, I was extremely intrigued with her concert project. However, once I delved into the topic at hand, I realized that there is a real documentary in this story waiting to be told. This documentary is one that goes way beyond the stories of four talented composers who perished in the Holocaust. Renan’s music therapy work with troubled teenagers and kids born in the Bakirkoy Prison to female inmates transitioning to the outside world is informed by the resilience of the composers who continued to create music in the concentration. The story I want to tell in this documentary is how the courage and determination of the musicians who lived and composed in Theresienstadt concentration camp some 75 years ago can help guide the way for a female music therapist in Istanbul. The film seeks to illuminate universal truths such as how we express our humanity and leave an imprint on this earth.
From the moment Renan Koen shared her quest of uncovering the works of Gideon Klein, Victor Ullman, Pavel Haas and Zigmund Schul who composed when they were in Theresienstadt as part of their defiance, I saw this film as the story of a woman’s journey to heal her and others. The uncovering of the notes of the composers who died in the Holocaust is the secondary plot but the most important part of the film is Renan’s mission to help young kids born in prison to transition to the outside world by helping them find their inner strength and their voices through music therapy. The ultimate goal of Renan’s work is to help establish peace and understanding in the world by using music. This documentary is a character driven story that will tell the stories of the composers as well as Renan’s own struggles and growth as a healer and a musician as she grapples with unearthing the compositions, helps kids in prison and prepares for a concert.
From the moment Renan Koen shared her quest of uncovering the works of Gideon Klein, Victor Ullman, Pavel Haas and Zigmund Schul who composed when they were in Theresienstadt as part of their defiance, I saw this film as the story of a woman’s journey to heal her and others. The uncovering of the notes of the composers who died in the Holocaust is the secondary plot but the most important part of the film is Renan’s mission to help young kids born in prison to transition to the outside world by helping them find their inner strength and their voices through music therapy. The ultimate goal of Renan’s work is to help establish peace and understanding in the world by using music. This documentary is a character driven story that will tell the stories of the composers as well as Renan’s own struggles and growth as a healer and a musician as she grapples with unearthing the compositions, helps kids in prison and prepares for a concert.
The Sound Of Resilience is not an easy documentary to make. The subject matter is heavy and the production schedule is a challenge. The film needs to be shot in Theresienstadt, Auschwitz, Germany, Israel and Greece besides Istanbul. Since this is a film about Renan’s music therapy process of healing the children in Bakirkoy prison and simultaneously investigating the lives of the murdered composers and preparing for a future Theresienstadt concert, the shooting will be done on many different dates. However, despite the trials this project offers, it also happens to be a very universal documentary that already has a built in audience. Another interesting aspect of this particular film is that its main character is a Turkish-Jewish female musician and music therapist. This fact adds a unique quality to the project and makes it fresh and never been seen before.
As Producers we are aware that it will take several years to finish this film; however, we are fortunate that because of its subject matter we can apply to many different film funds in Turkey, Europe and raise funds in the US through private funding. We will be vigorously seeking international co-producers for this project. Through Renan Koen’s contacts and supporters in Istanbul, we will find sponsorships. With the help of Binnur Karaevli’s international network of collaborators, distributors and networks in the Europe and the US, we are confident that we will raise the necessary funds and then distribute the film to the widest range of audiences in the world.
As Producers we are aware that it will take several years to finish this film; however, we are fortunate that because of its subject matter we can apply to many different film funds in Turkey, Europe and raise funds in the US through private funding. We will be vigorously seeking international co-producers for this project. Through Renan Koen’s contacts and supporters in Istanbul, we will find sponsorships. With the help of Binnur Karaevli’s international network of collaborators, distributors and networks in the Europe and the US, we are confident that we will raise the necessary funds and then distribute the film to the widest range of audiences in the world.