From Friday 27 October, Dartmouth Films will release Sheila Hayman’s feature documentary FANNY: THE OTHER MENDELSSOHN, produced by Mercury Studios, into more than 100 locations throughout the UK.
Take a celebrated musical genius, sibling rivalry, an unknown manuscript, some very persistent research and one sensational revelation, and what have you got? FANNY: THE OTHER MENDELSSOHN – the documentary from BAFTA-winning director Sheila Hayman that features global Decca star, Isata Kanneh-Mason.
The film reveals the extraordinary story of Fanny, a composer long ignored by the classical music world in favour of her famous brother Felix, who despite being forbidden a musical career persevered, composing 450 works in her short life. Fanny’s lost masterpiece, ‘The Easter Sonata’, is brought to life by virtuoso pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason. As she explores the music, the parallels between her life and Fanny’s – including the challenge of being a pioneer with few role models in classical music — become clear.
Fanny’s 3x great-granddaughter, Sheila Hayman, writes and directs the film, shot on location with an all-female crew in Berlin, New York, London, Oxford and Buckingham Palace and featuring many never-before-heard or recorded pieces from Fanny Mendelssohn.
Watch Fanny: The Other Mendelssohn (2023) Trailer
After centuries of women creatives being written out of history, we celebrate the fascinating story of how this lost masterpiece was excavated from impenetrable archives and brought to life in the modern day. As moving as it is joyous, FANNY: THE OTHER MENDELSSOHN is the story of a very modern woman – who just happened to live 200 years ago.
