Rhombus Media Inc

Rhombus Media Inc. An independent producer of television programs on the performing arts. The company was founded in 1979 at the York University film dept by Barbara Willis Sweete, Niv Fichman, and Larry Weinstein. The first production was Opus One Number One, featuring Fichman's brother, pianist Yuval Fichman. By 1990 the company had produced 24 films and TV programs, many about music but others dealing with dance, personal portraits, and human rights and social action. Fichman and Sweete both have musical backgrounds (Sweete taught piano in Victoria, BC before moving to Toronto). Their films aim to humanize classical music and the arts generally for the wider audience. The company released its first theatrical feature length film, The Top of His Head, in 1989.

View the preview of a film featuring the innovative opera "Burnt Toast." From Rhombus Media on YouTube.

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Rhombus has collaborated with such networks as BBC London, TVE Madrid, DRS Zürich, CBC, TV Ontario, and the NFB. Its films have been shown in over 30 countries in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. In 1987, increased international attention led to the formation of the distribution company Rhombus International, headed by Sheena Macdonald. Many of Rhombus' films are available on videotape from the NFB.

Watch clips from a documentary tribute to Mozart that features modern Mozart affectionados. A Rhombus Media film.

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Rhombus films have won critical acclaim worldwide. In 1986 the company received the ACO Award 'in grateful recognition of extraordinary contributions to the orchestral community in Canada,' and its film, Making Overtures received an Academy Award nomination for best documentary short. In 1989 the company was honoured by a seven-day festival entitled 'Rhombus: 10 Musical Years' at the Cinémathèque Québécoise in Montreal in 1989. By 1990 Rhombus films had been shown, often by invitation, at festivals in 11 countries, frequently winning awards, and eight films have received a total of 12 Gemini Awards. Four films, Making Overtures and Magnificat in 1986, World Drums in 1987 and Music in the Midnight Sun in 1989 received Canadian Music Council awards.

Rhombus Media's films about music include:

Opus One Number One (1979); Music for Wilderness Lake (1980); Zivjeli - to Life (1982);. Opus Two (1983); A Sense of Music (1983); Making Overtures - the Story of a Community Orchestra (1984); Magnificat (1985); All that Bach (1985); Inner Rhythm (1986); Whalesong (1986); Eternal Earth (1987); World Drums (1987); Guitar (1988); Ravel (1988); Masterclass with Menuhin (1988); Music in the Midnight Sun (1988); Carnival of Shadows (1989); The Radical Romantic (1989). (See also Films for descriptive annotations.)

Author Barbara Norman

Bibliography

Michael, Patricia. 'Rhombus Media,' PfAC, vol 23, Sep 1986

Lacey, Liam. 'Filmmakers set out to demystify the arts,' Toronto, Globe and Mail, 7 Mar 1987

Links to Other Sites
Historica-Dominion Institute
The website for the Historica-Dominion Institute, parent organization of The Canadian Encyclopedia and the Encyclopedia of Music in Canada. Check out their extensive online feature about the War of 1812, the "Heritage Minutes" video collection, and many other interactive resources concerning Canadian history, culture, and heritage.

Canadian Brass
The official website for the Canadian Brass band. Features biographies, a discography, and much more. Click on "Multimedia" and then "Quintet" to view an sublime performance of Michael Kamen's composition featuring the Canadian Brass.

DOXA 2009: Inside Hana's Suitcase
View clips from the documentary movie "Inside Hana's Suitcase," which includes appearances by Hana's brother George Brady and Fumiko Ishioka, the coordinator of the Tokyo Holocaust Education Centre. From YouTube.

Rhombus Film Reel
Watch the Rhombus Film Reel, featuring highlights from the renowned Rhombus Productions media company.

Beethoven's Hair
Watch a clip from "Beethoven's Hair," a musical documentary that traces the journey of a lock of Beethoven's hair through to modern times. A Rhombus Media film directed by Larry Weinstein.

Mozartballs
Watch clips from a documentary tribute to Mozart that features modern Mozart affectionados. A Rhombus Media film.

Burnt Toast
View the preview of a film featuring the innovative opera "Burnt Toast." From Rhombus Media on YouTube.