To Play and to Fight is the title of the documentary film about the National System of Youth and Children’s Orchestras of Venezuela. It is the story of the orchestra as a school of social life and the story of a musical dream which groups, without distinction of any kind, more than 250,000 Venezuelan kids in a system of choruses and orchestras that has spread across many countries.

The film includes interviews with maestro José Antonio Abreu (the founder of El Sistema), and world renowned conductors such as Eduardo Mata, Simon Rattle, Giuseppe Sinopoli and Claudio Abbado.

Technical data

Original title: Tocar y Luchar
Country of origin: Venezuela
Directed by: Alberto Arvelo
Format: digital video, 35mm
Length: 1h, 18’
Year of production: 2005
Genre: documentary
Rated: Suitable for all ages
Website: http://www.tocaryluchar.com/en/index.html

Trailer

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Gustavo Dudamel leads us in a journey through seven countries where music instruction programs patterned after Venezuela's El Sistema have been implemented. Dudamel: let the children play presents the stories of some of the children who, thanks to the orchestral programs, are experiencing the joy of music and bringing a simple message to all of us: art is a universal right.

Technical data

Original title: Dudamel: El sonido de los niños
Country of origin: Venezuela
Directed by: Alberto Arvelo
Length: 1h, 24'
Year of production: 2010
Genre: documentary
Rated: Suitable for all ages
Website: http://dudamel.net/

Trailer

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