Let Yourself Go – The Lives of Fred Hersch
Documentary ´´106 , in Co-Production with Volker Gehrke, 2008
About the Film
The New Yorker Jazz Pianist Fred Hersch is one of the greatest pianists and composers of contemporary Jazz. His musical work is remarkable and so is his way of life. Fred Hersch, at the time 53 years old, has been HIV positive for over twenty years. His disease progressed to AIDS only a few years ago. He was one of the first Jazz musicians who publicly came out as gay . Well-humoured and open, he speaks about his life with HIV and AIDS, his career with all its ups and downs, and about his music – the vital force that empowers him to live with his illness.
Filmmaker Katja Duregger has followed Fred Hersch over a period of two years. She shot much of the material by herself, which enabled her to produce a very intimate and moving portrait of this exceptional musician.
With: Scott Morgan, Hank Hersch, Sophia Rosoff, Norma Winstone, Michael Mac Donald,Charles Hamlen, Nasheet Waits, John Hébert, Christopher O´Riley.
Credits
| Screenplay/Director: | Katja Duregger |
| Co-autor: | Volker Gehrke |
| Director of Photography: | Katja Duregger, Thomas Kutschker, Melinda Hunt |
| Sound: | Christian Krämer |
| Film editing: | Volker Gehrke |
| Sounddesign: | Dirk Franken, Volker Gehrke |
| Speaker/German: | Ike Bohlig, Jürgen Kolenda |
| Speaker/English: | Jennifer Jones |
| Dramaturgical Advice: | Mika Kallwass |
| Picture Research: | Susann Poprawa |
| Translation: | Daniela Berger-Huza, Christoph Bausum |
| Music: | Fred Hersch |
| Production: | Volker Gehrke and Katja Duregger |
| Year of production: | 2008 |
With kind support of: 3sat, DEUTSCHE AIDS STIFTUNG, Classical Action – Performing Arts against AIDS
Fotos with kind permission of: Gay Center New York, AVERT, Fred Hersch, Hank Hersch, Michael Mac Donald
Festivals:
- 23rd London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, 2009, London, UK
- Cinestrat 09 – III Festival de Cine Documental, 2009, Alicante, Spain
- 24th Torino LGBT Festival 2009, Torino, Italy
- Florence Queer Festival 2011, Firenze, Italy