Jesus Figueroa, @Thisfunktional of ThisFunktional.com, talks with Lara St. John about documentary DEAR LARA.
This deeply personal documentary exposes decades of sexual abuse and institutional complicity in the classical music world and serves as a true call to action.
Dear Lara is the directorial debut from filmmaker St. John, with cinematography by St. John and Patrick Hamm (PBS POV: “Who I Am Not,” “This Rain Will Never Stop”). It was produced by Patrick Hamm, with co-producer Christie Herring (PBS: “The Campaign”; Hulu: “The Big Scary ‘S’ Word”), consulting producer Christy McGill (“Pasang: In the Shadow of Everest,” “Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly”) and executive producer Stephen H. Judson. The film was edited by Herring and features original music by St. John.
The story begins in 2019, when acclaimed violinist Lara St. John first speaks out about the sexual assault she endured as a 14-year-old student at the elite Curtis Institute in Philadelphia.
After her story is published in The Philadelphia Inquirer, she is flooded with letters and outreach from fellow survivors. Determined to make those voices heard, St. John travels across North America and Europe to meet others who, like her, were failed by the very organizations meant to protect them.
As these personal accounts accumulate, a pattern emerges of institutions shielding predators at the expense of the vulnerable. Blending unflinching testimony, investigative rigor and a haunting original score, the film exposes ingrained practices of harm and cover-ups, rooted in power, silence and the worship of reputation over justice. Featured documentary film subjects include: Robie Brown, Lisamarie Vana, Mascha van Sloten and Zeneba Bowers (violinists), Katherine Needleman (acclaimed oboist and advocate), Heather Bird (double bassist), Samuel Schultz (opera singer), Scott St. John (violinist and Lara St. John’s brother), Marci Hamilton (founder of Child USA), Anne Midgette (veteran arts journalist – The Washington Post, The New York Times), Sammy Sussman (investigative journalist – New York Magazine, The New York Times, VAN Magazine, Michigan Daily) and Okke Westdorp (director of the Amsterdam Conservatorium).
