Tie It Into My Hand (2014)

A kaleidoscopic portrait of the artist's life, Tie It Into My Hand takes as its point of departure an autobiographical story of perseverance. Director Paul Festa trained at Juilliard to be a concert violinist, but a chronic hand injury curtailed his career. Festa explores his own story through a series of encounters with established artists, meeting them in the context of an unprecedented interview device: a violin lesson they teach him on the Tchaikovsky concerto. The catch? None of the teachers are violinists, and most aren't musicians of any kind. From actor Alan Cumming to filmmaker Barbara Hammer and critic Harold Bloom, a brilliant array of artist-teachers give the lesson in the language and techniques of their own creative discipline. The ultimate lesson applies to any life of purpose: Resilience is everything.