Female conductors are a rare breed: fewer than three percent of the world’s top orchestras have women leading their ensembles. Little-known insights about the realities of this career are set out in documentary Maestra, the directorial debut of Maggie Contreras, which is screening at Oldenburg International Film Festival, after its Tribeca premiere. Glossily conventional in form, the film is buoyed by an empathetic warmth, as it challenges the norms of a profession that has traditionally been rigidly male-dominated. It closely follows five very likeable, vastly different candidates (of French, American, Polish, Greek and Ukrainian nationalities) of a total fourteen, as they converge in Paris for knock-out rounds of the 2022 edition of La Maestra, the only global conducting contest exclusively for women. Contests are important for launching conductors’ careers — especially for female hopefuls, who are otherwise sidelined from exposure for big roles. Though the contest set-up adheres to a standard doc formula to amp up suspense through rivalry, and nervous anticipation is effectively built up, Contreras ultimately emphasises solidarity over competition, as the women open up to each other about their problems and bond over comparable experiences in a tough industry. It is a film that refuses to pander to the powerful, and does not pull its punches in pointing out that this is a creative milieu rife with outright abuse and exploitation (behaviour that does not, in this documentary, stem from the music world’s women, undercutting Cate Blanchett’s recent turn, already iconic in pop culture, as a narcissistic conductor of world renown facing misconduct allegations in Todd Field’s over-the-top psychological drama Tár.)
As well as offering a positive take on female ambition, Maestra disabuses the audience of any illusions that classical music’s perceived elitism and high concert prices mean composers invariably live lavishly. As with work in other creative industries in today’s economy, it is a struggle for those starting out. Zoe, from Athens, is a freelancer who is often on the road for freelance gigs, earning to support her children at home. The challenges of balancing the demands of conducting and motherhood are manifold. She recounts how she started Greece’s first Youth Orchestra, but was removed from the post after becoming pregnant. She’s one of two candidates we follow who are parents, and share tips with Atlanta-based contestant Tamara, who is keen to start a family with her partner but worried how it will affect her career prospects.
Maestra also offers a fascinating snapshot for the uninitiated of what being a conductor entails in the auditorium, as candidates bring their own styles to the need to communicate to the orchestra so that they work as a single unit. A fair chunk of the film is dedicated to sequences of the women in action, guiding orchestras through Mozart, Louise Farrenc, Maurice Ravel, and Clara Schumann. The importance of presenting one’s authentic self is noted by the judges (established male and female composers), but as some participants pass the rounds and others fall out, caveats to that are raised. One participant, admired by her peers for her bold movements, unexpectedly doesn’t make the cut. Female composers must be dynamic, but moving too energetically can be associated with sexual power, and perceived as a threat. Another is told she should smile more. Women must not only execute their work precisely, but endure scrutiny to look and act a certain way while doing so — judgment their male counterparts are largely spared. Polish participant Anna suffers from psoriasis, which she attributes to the high stress levels of conducting, even as she obviously relishes the process.
As the competition reaches its final stages, performances are intercut with footage of Melisse, a French contestant who trained in Paris but relocated to Iowa, as she revisits her former conservatory and home. It’s gradually revealed she was abused by one of her teachers there, and is still struggling with the trauma, and with reconnecting to any sense of home. It’s an ending that powerfully conveys that, amid the fulfilling highs that can come from conducting, merit and hard work are not the only deciding factors in finding one’s way in an industry that is structurally compromised and able to totally derail lives. An end-title informs us the film was made with an 80% female crew, positioning the production almost as a manifesto or model for more balanced, inclusive modes of creative collaboration.
Director: Maggie Contreras
Writers: Maggie Contreras, Neil Berkeley
Editors: Elisa Bonora, Finola Couling, Rupert Hall
Cinematography: Neil Berkeley, Olympia Mytilinaiou, Isabelle Razavet, Patrick Bolton
Cast: Melisse Brunet, Tamara Dworetz, Zoe Zeniodi, Ustina Dubitsky, Anna Sulkowska-Migon, Marin Alsop, Deborah Borda
Music: Anne Chmelewsky
Producers: Maggie Contreras, Neil Berkeley, Emma West, Melanie Miller, Lauren Lexton
Production companies: Worldwide Pants (US), BRKLY (US), Burns Park Media (US), Foothill Productions (US), Fishbowl Films (US)
Sales: UTA (US)
Venue: Oldenburg
In English
98 minutes