"The Grande Dame of the Violin," Ida Haendel at DocNights at Willow

Boca Raton, FL, March 07, 2014 --(PR.com)-- DocMiami International Film Festival in partnership with Willow Theatre at Sugar Sand Park, present the documentary film, "Ida Haendel: This Is My Heritage." Directed by: Christine Jezior and edited by Oskar Jezior of Germany, the film is an honest account of growing older, a story of solitude and one's total devotion and love for music. Ida Haendel, widely considered one of the finest violinists of the 20th century, does not attach too much weight to exact dates. Her actual age remains one of the best-kept secrets in the music world. A Jewish Polish-born British citizen who managed to flee the Nazis right before the outbreak of the war, she has been residing in Miami since the early 80s and now considers it her home. She is a flamboyant character with a sharp sense of humor who doesn't mind presenting the high and low points of her eventful life in a profoundly honest way. She hasn't given up dreaming and searching yet. Her biggest wish is to be able to continue playing her beloved violin as long as possible. This special Screening will take place, at Willow Theatre at Sugar Sand Park on March 20, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. Presented by http://docmiami.org, tickets for this film are available at http://willowtheatre.org

Ida Haendel, is a woman who defies age. Today, she says, she has more to offer as an artist than ever before. "Flamboyant" is the word that first comes to mind when you meet the legendary violinist, Ida Haendel. In her turquoise pantaloons, rose-patterned high heels, white knit sweater and extravagant jewellery, she conducts one of her rare master classes. "I don't want to teach, I don't want to tell anybody else how they should play," she says when asked about the lessons. Yet for the duration of the class, Haendel manages to inspire, impress and encourage a group of some of the world's most talented young violinists. She uses Greta Garbo to make a point about how a crucial passage in César Franck's violin sonata should sound: "Greta Garbo would only give a sigh, and everyone around her would collapse from the power of its hushed meaning," she says. Then she takes a student's violin and plays the passage, proving her argument in sound, adding: "You give everything too soon, but less is more. It's about control and what comes next. Everything is a strategy, like a general preparing for war."

About the 2014 Florida Documentary Film Festival:

The 2014 Florida Documentary Film Festival will take place within the beautiful city of Boca Raton, Florida. Presented by DocMiami International Film Festival and in partnership with Sugar Sand Park, this new series of the festival is dedicated to showcasing the best that documentary filmmakers have to offer worldwide. The festival hosts documentary screenings and provides expert panel workshops at the event for the filmmakers and the community to attend. Past recipients of the “El Rey” Tito Puente Contribution to the Arts Award include: Willy Chirino, Carlos Santana and “Queen of Bolero,” Olga Guillot. In 2011, the festival was recognized by Productionhub.com as the "Spiciest Film Festival" in their 2011 Festival planner. The festival brings together emerging documentary filmmakers, students’ grades 6 -12, as well as film and music enthusiasts. In addition, the amazing concerts have included performances by: Tito Puente, Jr., Melton Mustafa, Prince Emmanuel Abiodun Aderele, Javier Batiz "The Godfather of Mexican Rhythm and Blues," Fito de la Parra, Jamie Catto, Rich Ferguson, Luis Bofill, Kiki Sanchez and Eloy "Rali."