Twinkle Dammit!

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.

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.
GenresTV, Documentary
DirectorChuang Xu
CastMargaret Leng Tan, George Crumb
LanguageEnglish
Runtime70 mins
Theatrical Release1 Apr 2021
Available1 Mar 2022
Festivals & AwardsWinner 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
TerritoriesWorldwide ex China

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