A short documentary showcasing our famous piano is to be launched at the opening night of this year's Herne Hill Film Festival on Fri 2 May.
The Herne Hill Piano Film, directed by Maureen Ni Fiann, is about the street piano in the Herne Hill Station walkway and its positive impact on the community. It has been made in collaboration with local film-maker Tom Rochester.
The film is an engaging story about the everyday interactions between the piano and those that sit down to play it, dance by it or just go there to listen.
Maureen noticed how a simple object positioned in the right place could make people behave differently from the stereotype of London as an unfriendly city.
“It naturally encouraged a lot of genuine personal interaction. A major city like London is exciting because of its the diversity. The downside though is that it can be anonymous and isolating. What I thought was a valuable story was that such a simple thing like a piano could make such a difference.
Maureen witnessed conventional stereotypes disappear. Traffic wardens playing gospel music, kids on their way to ballet playing alongside a homeless person, a ‘hoodie’ playing Mozart, policemen on the beat pausing to play a tune.
Giles Gibson of Herne Hill Forum said: “I thought it would be a great idea to have a piano in the community. There are hundreds of talented musicians out there who do not have regular access to a piano. It gives them the opportunity to share their creativity. That is why that it has survived for two years.”
The Herne Hill Piano blog, a companion to the film, is an invitation for people to share their piano stories.
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