LOGLINE
Using instruments as passports for millennia, wandering Jewish musicians are still among us. From ram’s
horn to beatbox, from Argentina to Uganda, THE WANDERING MUSE looks into the kaleidoscope of
Jewish identities through the ever-changing music of the diaspora.
SYNOPSIS
From ram’s horn to beatbox, THE WANDERING MUSE explores the kaleidoscope of Jewish identities
through the ever-changing music of the diaspora.
In constant motion, the film is a series of encounters with Jewish musicians from around the world.
Taking their music beyond the concert hall, we join in the spontaneous magic of a creative process that
transcends the struggles of the musicians’ lives.
In an alternative Argentinean bar, two friends play tango-infused klezmer. In rural Uganda, villagers
chant Hebrew prayers in East African harmonies. At a Montreal party, an artist mixes hip-hop and jazz
with cantorial singing in a multilingual tour de force. In a Berlin apartment, an American harmonizes with
a Russian friend in a rendition of an anti-Zionist song from the 1920’s.
Shattering stereotypes and upending expectations, each scene brings us closer to the nomadic soul
wandering in a borderless world of harmonies. With the traditional and the contemporary in continuous
dialogue, THE WANDERING MUSE attends to the birth of a dynamic new Jewish music.
TRAILER: http://youtu.be/GEyOu9m0KXA
WEBSITE: www.wanderingmusefilm.com
FACEBOOK: facebook.com/TheWanderingMuse
TECHNICAL INFO
Year
2014
Length
93 minutes & 52 minutes
Country (production)
Canada
Filming locations
Argentina, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Hungary, Morocco,
Netherlands, Uganda, USA
Languages
English, French, German, Yiddish, Ladino, Judeo-Arabic,
Lugandan, Spanish, Ancient Hebrew
Versions
English ST, French ST
Featuring
Basya Schechter, César Lerner, Daniel Kahn, Rabbi Enosh Keki Mainah, Jeremiah Lockwood, Shura
Lipovsky, Marcelo Moguilevsky, Moses Walyombe, Psoy Korolenko AKA Pavel Lion, Vanessa Paloma,
Socalled AKA Josh Dolgin
Crew
Writer / Director
Tamás Wormser
Cinematographers
Alex Margineanu, Van Royko & Tamás Wormser
Sound Recordist
Philippe Scultety, Sylvain Vary, Toby Richardson
Editor
Catherine Legault
Animation
Éléonore Goldberg
Producer
Tamás Wormser | Artesian Films
CONTACT INFO
ARTESIAN FILMS
5535, rue St-Dominique #300
Montreal, QC
H2T 1V5
Tel: 514-277-1584
E-mail: info@artesianfilms.com
www.artesianfilms.com
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
Over the last 7 years I have been on a mission to discover Jewish musical stories around the globe
(Afghanistan, Algeria, Argentina, Canada, Cuba, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Israel,
Moldova, Morocco, Netherland, Russia, Spain, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Uganda, USA, Uzbekistan and Yemen.)
I have encountered disappearing Jewish musical communities, while witnessing the birth of a radical new
Jewish music.
There are many films on Jewish subjects, but none about my favorite Jewish archetype – the wandering
artist. Now that I’m a father of two sons, I have been struggling to explain to them what it means to be
Jewish. It means so much, yet very little. For me, being a Jew is not simply a religion, a people, a culture,
a tradition, or a sense of humour. My idea of Jewishness might be the opposite of another Jew’s, yet we
both claim to be one. And our interpretations are in constant flux, evolving from one day to the next. I
decided to examine this issue through the music that carries the soul of a people.
Jews have always absorbed, exchanged, and spread music around the globe. As reluctant nomads, they
used their instruments as passports to the larger community. Along the way, liturgy went lyrical, the
traditional turned popular. And oy begat joy.
I set out to make an entertaining film that showcased extraordinary music, and questioned notions of
identity and otherness. The result of this long journey is THE WANDERING MUSE – a feature-length film
and a website that will present over 250 video clips from around the world.
THE WANDERING MUSE was a natural next step in my career, as it fits into two of my main
preoccupations:

The poetic-anthropological documentary, like FACES OF THE HAND, a visual journey through
various cultures that looks at the hand as a mirror to human nature; and TOUCHED BY WATER, a film
about bathing cultures and water-rituals around the globe (shot in 13 countries). With this style of film, I
take a simple and ordinary subject and explore it through time and space to discover its many
dimensions – physical, emotional and spiritual.

The portrayal of idealists who stay true to their dreams against all odds, like STEP UP!, a
documentary on the journey of a young dancer: from losing his foot in a car accident to dancing with
Baryshnikov; and TRAVELLING LIGHT that follows the quests of five nomadic artists through 11
countries.
I call these films Road-Docs. My intention is to observe non-judgmentally, search for the beauty of the
moment, and to penetrate the surface. My aim is to raise questions, to present conflicting truths, and to
provoke individual responses from the audience.
By posing the old and simple question – “What is Jewish?” – and by considering a surprising range of
answers, I wanted to widen the perspective of the audience – Jewish and non-Jewish alike – to an
irresistible rhythm.
- Tamás Wormser
WANDERINGMUSE.NET
The website will be launched with over 250 original video clips e produced with the participation of over
1000 musicians from around the globe. It's an online audiovisual archive that celebrates the everchanging, age-old music of the wandering Jews. As new musicians join the network, we will gather an
increasing amount of video content, conserving and promoting a treasure trove of Jewish musicians,
melodies, and stories. The interactive site will offer a platform where the public can actively engage and
participate, where creativity and knowledge can be shared across borders.
DIRECTOR’S BIO
TAMÁS WORMSER, filmmaker
Tamás Wormser was born and raised in Budapest,
Hungary. In 1986 he moved to Canada, where he
continued working in theatre as a writer, actor and
director. In 1991 he completed the Film Production
program at Concordia University where he made the
experimental film PROMETHEUS, the documentaries
LAMA GESHE KENRAB and HIPPO SAPIENS, and the
short fiction THE HAT.
In 1989 he founded Artesian Films, through which he
has directed and produced thirteen films. In 1993
Wormser made THE THREE MARIAS, a series of seven
dance films that was shown on Bravo! in Canada and
on the Hungary Public Broadcaster. In 1996 he directed
the documentary FACES OF THE HAND, produced by
National Film Board of Canada and broadcast in over 40
countries. Nominated for Best Documentary at Hot
Docs, the film won a Gold Apple Award and widespread
critical acclaim.
In 1998 he produced and directed the fiction film THE
RING. His 2003 documentary STEP UP! featured a dancer who, having lost a foot to an accident, went on
to dance with Baryshnikov. It went on to win a Freddie Award, a Communicator Award of Excellence, a
Silver Award at the Worldfest Houston, the Best Short Documentary at Moscow International Disability
Film Festival and Best Director at 2012 BOSI Film Festival in Belgrade. Following its premiere on CBC-TV’s
The Magazine, Canada’s most watched documentary program, it was broadcast on Bravo!, CBC’s Distinct
Docs series, on ZDF ARTE and others.
In 2003 he produced and directed THE BALL OF THEIR LIVES, a documentary about Hungarian-Canadian
galas, the biggest debutante balls in North America, and in 2006 he completed TOUCHED BY WATER a
documentary shot in 13 countries about bathing traditions and water-rituals around the world. It was
nominated for Best Documentary at the Montreal World Film Festival, shortlisted for JAPAN PRIZE and
presented at numerous festivals and events around the globe. Premiered on the Documentary Channel
and ARTV in Canada, and aired on Czech Ceska TV, and on Hungarian TV.
In 2007 Wormser produced and directed BELIEVE IN ME! a documentary on teenaged fathers, a group
largely neglected by Canadian society.
His 2008 production, TRAVELLING LIGHT is a documentary filmed in 11 countries on modern-day
nomadic artists. The film won the Gold Award at The American Pixel Academy, the Bronze Remi Award at
WorldFest-Houston and the Award of Merit at The Indie Fest.
The Cultural Olympiad 2010 Vancouver commissioned Wormser to make HAND TO HAND, a short film
that was viewed by millions around the world. The film won the Golden Reel Award at the TIFF in San
Francisco, the Platinum Award at The American Pixel Academy, the Jury Prize "BEST FILM OF FESTIVAL"
at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, and presently in the in the international festival circuit.
Presently, Wormser is releasing THE WANDERING MUSE and he is developing several other
documentary, fiction and new media projects.
FILMOGRAPHY
2014
2010
2008
2007
2006
2003
2003
1998
1996
THE WANDERING MUSE / LA MUSE ERRANTE
HAND TO HAND
TRAVELLING LIGHT
BELIEVE IN ME!
TOUCHED BY WATER / EAUX DE VIE
STEP UP!
THE BALL OF THEIR LIVES
THE RING / LA BAGUE
FACES OF THE HAND
PHOTOS
César Lerner & Marcelo Moguilevsky
Basya Schechter
Vanessa Paloma
“Socalled” Josh Dolgin
More photos for Daniel Kahn, Psoy Korolenko;
Jeremiah Lockwood,
Shura Lipovsky,
Enosh Kemi Mainah
With the financial support of
and Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit
Produced in association with