In 1971, Margaret Leng Tan was the first woman to earn a Doctorate degree from the Juilliard School. Since then, her five-decade career has made the musician a figurehead of avant-garde music, owing predominantly to her incorporation of the toy piano in her performances. We meet Leng Tan at the age of 71 as she embarks on an iconic collaboration with George Crumb, one of the last remaining avant-garde composers of his era. “Twinkle Dammit!” gives access to the rarely-seen creative process between two musical geniuses, peeling back the public-facing surface of the world’s greatest toy-piano-virtuoso to explore the private obsessions that have lead to a life committed to the avant-garde., In 1971, Margaret Leng Tan was the first woman to earn a Doctorate from the Juilliard School. Since then, her five-decade career has positioned the musician as a figurehead of avant-garde music, owing in part to her unique incorporation of the toy piano in her performances. A close associate of the late John Cage, we meet Leng Tan at the age of 71 as she embarks on an iconic collaboration with George Crumb, one of the last remaining avant- garde composers of his era. TWINKLE DAMMIT! gives access to the rarely-seen creative process between two musical geniuses, and peels back the public layers of the worlds greatest toy piano virtuoso to explore the private obsessions that have lead to a life committed to art.
Genres
TV, Documentary
Director
Chuang Xu
Cast
Margaret Leng Tan, George Crumb
Language
English
Runtime
70 mins
Theatrical Release
1 Apr 2021
Available
1 Mar 2022
Festivals & Awards
Winner of Best Director – NÒT FF
Winner of Best Foreign Film – Kadoma IFF
Vienna Independent FF
Visions du Réel IFF Nyon
The Student Academy Awards – Finalist
DOC n’ ROLL FF
Seoul Webfest Hollywood
Shanghai IFF
Florida FF
DaVinci IFF
Brooklyn FF
Asian FF LA
Jelly FF