The Bowmakers
“The story of the most important instrument you’ve never heard of.”
2019•1h 46m•8.0•Released
Documentary
This documentary film explores the world of the bow and the extraordinary masters who make them. The bow is the Cinderella of the orchestra—the overworked and overshadowed ally to its more glamorous partners. Few people, even among lovers of classical music, think of the bow as an instrument in its own right, but players of stringed instruments see them differently. To musicians, the bow is as essential to expressing the soul of the music as the violin or cello. The film follows the journey of the “silent servant” of the music world—from the workshops of the virtuosos of the trade, to the birthplace of the bow in France, and to Brazil, home to the imperiled tree from which the world’s finest bows are made.
Director
Ward Serrill
Writer
Ward Serrill
Studio
Woody Creek Pictures
Cast
Charles Espey
Self, bow-maker
Paul Siefried
Self, bow-maker
Robert Morrow
Self, bow-maker
Ole Kanestrom
Self, bow-maker
Cody Kowalski
Self, bow-maker
Stéphane Tomachot
Self, bow-maker
Joséphine Tomachot
Self, bow-maker
Noel Burke
Self, bow-maker
Johnny Gandelsman
Self, violinist, Brooklyn Rider
Colin Jacobsen
Self, violinist, Brooklyn Rider
Nicholas Cords
Self, violist, Brooklyn Rider
Michael Nicolas
Self, cellist, Brooklyn Rider
Joel Link
Self, violinist, Dover Quartet
Bryan Lee
Self, violinist, Dover Quartet
Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt
Self, violist, Dover Quartet
Production
Company
Woody Creek Pictures
Producer
Rocky Friedman
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