On September 30 in Woodstock, Israeli director and filmmaker Matthew Mishory’s documentary Fioretta (2023) will premiere at the Woodstock Film Festival. After, the ad hoc Maverick Sextet will play a live string performance of composer Arnold Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht (Transfigured Night). A Q&A session with the production crew and subjects will occur.
The film will premiere on October 5 in Zurich too. After, the ad hoc Zurich Sextet will perform the aforementioned piece live. A similar Q&A will take place.
On October 8, Tel Aviv’s ANU Museum of the Jewish People will screen the film as well. After, a cocktail reception and Q&A session will ensue. The film chronicles the poignant journey of a father and son as they reconnect with their family’s history. The feature goes into depth about the experiences.
Famous litigator Randall Schoenberg travels with his 18-year-old son throughout Europe. They search for the gravesite of their oldest known relative, “Fioretta.” Through the discovery, they will reclaim 500 years of their familial history. They are the descendants of the acclaimed composer Arnold Schoenberg.
The world knows Randall as the recoverer of Nazi-looted prized pieces. He returns the artifacts to the families of their original owners. People know him as a genealogy expert. His greatest achievement occurs in this incredible story, where he reunites his family’s documents. The film has fascinating visual elements.
At the beginning, a title slide says “Prague, 1991.” The film shows a liminal, parking lot space. In a long shot, a man carries two duffle bags. Eerie music accompanies him. Then, the movie cuts to a boy who examines pages.
In a voiceover, Schoenberg suggests that children conduct genealogy assignments for school. They create small family trees for classes. When he was eight years old, his grandmother gave him a huge family tree. Meanwhile, his father’s family tree dates back to 1974. He utilized books that related to his grandfather’s centennial birthday. With this information, Schoenberg became known for genealogy at school.
The film shows old footage of Schoenberg. In the grainy shots, he uses public transportation. This deepens his connection to genealogy. The motion picture displays eye-catching shots of buildings. He says that memory has always interested him. He discusses the roles of the past, present, and future. Then, he arrives at a house. It relates to his rich family history.
In 2005, Schoenberg’s family moved into the house. He provides descriptions of his family members.
Twenty-four years ago, Schoenberg married his wife. They have children: Dora (24), Nathan (21), and Joey. Dora advocates for memory through her program, Remember Us. The organization pairs children of recent bar and bat mitzvahs with victims of the Holocaust. Joey trains to become a chef. Schoenberg’s wife, Pam, owned a photography gallery for a while. The family eats dinner together on a beautiful balcony.
Schoenberg gives a family toast, in which he mentions his travel plans. In the upcoming days, he would depart for Vienna. He has a meeting at the Schoenberg Center. Joey would come to meet him there. Together, they would embark on what Schoenberg calls a “roots trip.” They hope to uncover more family history. In a voiceover, Joey provides his perspective.
He says, “My dad decided to take this trip throughout Europe to go find graves and family members.” Schoenberg wanted to take one of his children. Dora prepared to have surgery and Nathan had schoolwork to complete. Joey came along because he had the availability. The documentary shows stellar travel shots.
A wide shot shows the shore at dusk. A close-up shot shows a plane’s wing. In the background, the film displays an exquisite blue sky and clouds. Joey describes his connection to family history.
He says that he “can have that sort of out-of-body experience and you have chills because you have that instant connection. You’re in the place where your family was, being back there 500 years earlier.” The film shows more immaculate travel shots.
In a moving long shot, a plane wing takes off from the ground. Then, the film cuts to a moving establishing shot of an airport. In a voiceover, Joey explains that “it’s not a single family story. It’s a people. We’re part of this larger mosaic.” Schoenberg arrived at Vienna’s Arnold Schönberg Center.
The documentary shows the building’s stunning interior. In a long shot, Schoenberg works on a computer. He sits on the administration’s board. The Center preserves his family’s legacy and makes the history accessible to the public. Through the organization, Schoenberg and Joey learn more about their family’s history. They might even uncover some surprising family secrets. Mishory issued a director’s statement.
He said, “When I first met Randy Schoenberg, he mentioned his ‘interest’ in family history. This made sense; he had a very famous grandfather. But Randy’s interest stretched further back through the centuries.” Mishory mentioned Schoenberg’s genealogical background.
Mishory explained, “He had been ‘looking into it’ for quite a while and had made some progress. ‘How far back could he go,’ I asked, expecting an impressive answer: the 1850s, perhaps. ‘Five hundred years,’ he said.” Mishory connected Schoenberg’s background “all the way back to the formation of the Jewish Ghetto in Venice. And he had the encyclopedic list of names (and documents) to prove it.” Mishory described the documentary’s narrative as well.
He said, “This father-son voyage through time and space (Austria, the Czech Republic, Italy, and California) became the narrative backbone of our film.” He described his personal preferences in the documentary genre, saying “I like to
watch characters change subtly, relationships deepen, dynamics quietly shift. And this is what happens in Fioretta.” Mishory identified the film’s strong emotional connection.
He “filmed Fioretta as a narrative feature film that happens to be a documentary, avoiding the trappings and conventions of the genre that have proliferated with streaming.” He discussed what sets his film apart, saying “This is not an
‘interviews and experts movie.’ The camera roams, settling to catch objects’ locations and faces. Crucial emotional sequences are captured on Ektachrome film. And fragments of Randy’s first trip to Prague, just after the fall of Communism, come to life in a 16mm film-within-a-film.” Schoenberg commented on the film’s genesis.
His cousin, artist and filmmaker Serena Nona, came up with the idea of Fioretta (2023). She learned that Schoenberg’s genealogical research dated back to a family in the 500-year-old Jewish Ghetto in Venice. Then, Schoenberg said “Serena thought we could make a documentary film. When I mentioned the idea to producer Brad Schlei and director Matthew Mishory in Los Angeles, they agreed.” Schoenberg discussed the film’s impact on his family.
Schoenberg and Joey “met a great many strange and fascinating people who helped us uncover the traces that my family left behind. The documentary is as much about my relationships with these various characters and my relationship with my son as it is about the genealogical journey.” He outlined his goals for the documentary as well.
Schoenberg said, “My hope is that the film inspires people to explore their own family history, as I did, to learn a little something about themselves.” The documentary had an excellent production crew.
Rob Levine executively produced and co-wrote the film. Bradford Schlei, Álvaro Fernández, and Anneta Furdecká produced the movie. Maciej Twardowski arranged the cinematography, while Marc Cohen edited the footage. The video had fascinating technological speculations.
The production crew filmed the movie on location in Austria, the Czech Republic, and Italy. The film has interesting technical speculative facts. The audio is Audio 5.1 with Stereo Mix available and the Aspect Ratio is 16:9. The production crew used Alexa Mini LF and ARRIFLEX 416 (Super 16mm) cameras. The film connects to recent historical events. On September 13, Arnold Schoenberg’s birthday occurred. In 2024, his 150th anniversary will commence.
RUBBER RING FILMS and STONE CANYON ENTERTAINMENT present, in association with MONOLITHIC FILMS and NUTPRODUKCE, A film by MATTHEW MISHORY, E. RANDOL SCHOENBERG, SERENA NONO, ARNIE SCHOENBERG and JOEY SCHOENBERG in Fioretta (2023).
Production designer: MAGDALENA ZEMANOVÁ
Original score & sound: OHAD STEMATI
Edited by MARC COHEN
Cinematography: MACIEJ TWARDOWSKICO
Producer: ANNETA FURDECKÁ
Executive producers: ROB LEVINE and E. RANDOL SCHOENBERG
Produced by ÁLVARO FERNÁNDEZ, p.g.a. BRADFORD L. SCHLEI, p.g.a.
Co-writer: ROB LEVINE
Written and directed by MATTHEW MISHORY
Official Website:
https://fiorettafilm.com
Press and Screening Inquiries:
heshelman@platformgrp.com
