Fanny Hensel-Mendelssohn. The genius sister

A 54-minute documentary for NDR and arte

German film version in the arte media library
French film version in the arte media library

Fanny Hensel, sister of the famous Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, is at least as talented as her brother. But for her as a woman, different rules apply. While he makes a career, she is forced into the role of housewife and mother.
Her compositions remain unpublished. Only shortly before her untimely death does she dare to defy the rules and finds recognition, especially abroad.
Was it only the social conventions or also envy and jealousy of her brother Felix that prevented a great career as a composer, musician? Where did Fanny find the courage and strength to emancipate herself in the end and to appear self-confident in a male-dominated world?
The documentary traces these questions and brings Fanny Hensel-Mendelssohn's fate to life against the background of the time.

A film about the life and work of composer and pianist Fanny Hensel-Mendelssohn and the touching story of a late emancipation and sibling rivalry beyond death. The most remarkable composer of the 19th century: a woman who tried to break free from the rules of a male-dominated and patriarchal world.