Documentary Tocar y Luchar Wins Audience Award at the Miami International Film Festival

Kingston, New York (PRWeb) March 14, 2007 -- Explorart Films and Cinema Sur announced today that the feature documentary To Play and To Fight has won the Audience Award at the Miami International Film Festival's World & Ibero-American Documentary Feature Competition. In addition, the film won the Best Documentary Award at the Cinemas Albuquerque Film Festival and was selected amongst the audience's most popular films at both the prestigious Vancouver International Film Festival and the Canberra International Film Festival. The moving documentary will continue to screen at festivals in the USA throughout 2007.

"We are very excited to get this recognition from the wonderful audience at the Miami International Film Festival. The entire production team has been moved by the feedback we have received and by knowing that this film is helping promote the importance of Music Education around the world," said Dr. Nestor L. Lopez-Duran, one of the film's producers. The film was directed by the award winning Venezuelan Director Alberto Arvelo. "This film is about much more than music. "Tocar y Luchar" is a film about hope, about the power and the importance of hope in our every day lives. This documentary not only changed the life of all of us (filmmakers), but is also changing the life of many people from all around the world ... people who find in the message of these kids a deep inspiration. "Tocar y Luchar" is a film about the resurrection of hope," said Mr. Arvelo

To Play and To Fight presents the captivating story of the Venezuelan Youth Orchestra System -- an incredible network of hundreds of orchestras formed within most of Venezuela's towns and villages, which is considered by many to be the best music education system in the world. Once a modest program designed to expose rural children to the wonders of music, the system has become one of the most important and beautiful music phenomena in modern history. To Play and To Fight presents interviews and performances by many of the world's most renowned musicians, including the great tenor Placido Domingo, Claudio Abbado, Sir Simon Rattle, Guiseppe Sinopoli and Eduardo Mata, as they reflect on the impact of such a far-reaching social project. The documentary also presents the inspirational stories of world class musicians who have been trained by the Venezuelan system, including the Berlin Philharmonic's youngest player Edicson Ruiz and world class conductor Gustavo Dudamel.

The film will continue screening in 2007 throughout the world. Future screenings include Tiburon International Film Festival, Cleveland International Film Festival, Chicago Latino Film Festival and the 9th South American Film Festival of Marseille. The documentary was produced by Venezuelan production companies Cinema SUR and Explorart Films with support from the Venezuelan National Youth Orchestra and the Venezuelan Autonomous National Center for Cinematography. The film has screened to audiences around the world at numerous film festivals including the Montreal World Film Festival, Vancouver International Film Festival, AFIFEST, Santa Cecilia's Conservatory Pavilion in Rome, Oslo's Films From the South Festival, Brussels' FestCeal, Sao Paulo Film Festival, and the Canberra International Film Festival. More information about the film can be found at www.tocaryluchar.com. The documentary is represented internationally by US based Explorart Films.

About Explorart Films.
Explorart Films is an independent production company with offices in the Venezuela and the USA dedicated to the production of original award-winning feature films, documentaries and television series for worldwide distribution. Explorart Films is committed to becoming a major player in the global independent film industry. Contact Explorart at www.explorart.com.

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