MINER’S PIANO – BANDONEON

SWR (82 min) / ARTE (57 min), D/FR/ARG/BE 2026, DCP, 16:9, DOLBY 5.1

A film by WIEBKE PÖPEL and HELENA RÜEGG
Directed & edited by WIEBKE PÖPEL | Written by WIEBKE PÖPEL & HELENA RÜEGG | Camera: MARKUS ZUCKER, WIEBKE PÖPEL,
LUCY RYA, TATIANA BURGOS | Animation: STEFANIE SAGHRI | Grading: JAN HARTMANN | Sound mixing: JÖRG HÖHNE
Produced by deBunt Film commissioned by SWR in cooperation with ARTE
With Duo Asato-Pais, Wallschläger family & Bandoneonverein Carlsfeld, Helena Rüegg, Victor Villena, Louise Jallu, Matías Gobbo,
Helga Tosta & Bandonionfreunde Essen, Mariano Godoy, a.o.

As a tango instrument, the bandoneon has become famous all over the world. But only few know that its fascinating history began in 19th-century Germany as the ‘miner’s piano’, before it made its way to Argentina with European immigrants. Around 1920, there were more bandoneon clubs in Germany than there are football clubs today; and almost all the instruments in the world originate from a single village in the Ore Mountains, passed down from generation to generation, traded for sheep and calves.
With previously unpublished, creatively animated archive footage, MINER’S PIANO – BANDONEON delves into the history of this exceptional instrument, tracing its journey between Germany, Argentina and France. The documentary introduces us to today’s vibrant, diverse bandoneon scene that goes far beyond tango: 90-year-old musicians of the last bandoneon orchestra in the Ruhr region play traditional miners’ songs; renowned Argentine bandoneon stars (Ayelén Pais, Victor Villena, Fernandez Fierro) delight us not only with tango, but also with Bach suites and bandoneon hard rock; and the young French bandoneon virtuoso Louise Jallu produces sounds with her instrument that have never been heard before.

HELMUT LACHENMANN – MY WAY

D/IT/CH 2020, DCP, 90 MIN, 16:9, DOLBY 5.1

Film portrait of German composer Helmut Lachenmann,
awarded with the German Documentary Film Prize 2021 (music category)
Written, directed and edited by Wiebke Pöpel | Cinematography: Michael Zimmer | Produced by deBunt Film /
Wiebke Pöpel, co-production: SWR, funded by MFG Baden-Württemberg
With Helmut Lachenmann, Sir Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonics, Brad Lubman and
Ensemble Modern Orchestra, Sylvain Cambreling and Staatsorchester Stuttgart, Arditti Quartet, among others

AGAIN AND AGAIN I USED TO HEAR,
MR. LACHENMANN, WHAT YOU ARE WRITING IS NOT MUSIC! –
I SAY: WONDERFUL, FINALLY NO MUSIC! SO – WHAT IS IT?
HELMUT LACHENMANN