The Story Below the Surface

I came on very late in the process, which was a new experience for me. Sean and his team had already acquired a heartbreaking interview with Frank, a truck load of stock footage and photos, as well as a number of very creative art pieces done by students. Oh the art. What a great thing to have at our disposal. The art is fundamental in bringing Frank's words and experiences to life in a way that nothing else could. It's so obvious yet so brilliant. Sean and his students had also assembled the narrative that would serve as the backbone of the film and my jumping off point - also a first for me. Once I had all the pieces, and a very helpful road map to navigate the puzzle, it was just a matter of massaging all the pieces into place.I get the same overwhelming feeling before I start every project. It's like a wave full of a billion different possibilities hitting me all at once. But this time was different. This story had its own tide that I just needed to harness and ride to shore.On the surface, you might see Misa's Fugue as just another story about the atrocities of The Holocaust, but to me, it goes much deeper than that. In this age of struggling economies and arts and music class budgets being slashed to the bone in our country's education budgets, Misa's Fugue offers a testament to the importance of nurturing creative instincts in our young people. Misa's Fugue will force you to wonder if a young Frank Grunwald would have survived his unfathomable ordeal without art, and I believe we've presented evidence suggesting he may not have.