Music by Prudence
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2024}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Music by Prudence
| image = Music by Prudence.jpg
| caption =
| director = Roger Ross Williams
| writer =
| starring = Prudence Mabhena
Tapiwa Nyengera
Energy Maburutse
Honest Mupatse
Marvelous Mbulo
Vusani Vuma
Goodwell Nzou
Farai Mabhande
| producer = Roger Ross Williams
Elinor Burkett
Patrick Wright (co-producer)
| music = Music Producer/additional composition Ted Mason
| cinematography = Derek Wiesehahn (director of cinematography)
Errol Webber
Osato Dixon
| editing = Geeta Gandbhir (editor)
Patrick Wright (associate editor)
| studio = iThemba Productions
| distributor = HBO
| released = {{Film date|df=yes|2010|4}}
| runtime = 33 minutes
| country = United States
Zimbabwe[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ye70Ag68UmY Trailer on YouTube]
| language = English
| gross =
}}
Music by Prudence is a 2010 short documentary film directed by Roger Ross Williams. It tells the story of the then 24-year-old Zimbabwean singer-songwriter Prudence Mabhena, and follows her transcendence from a world of hatred and superstition into one of music, love, and possibilities.
Music by Prudence won the 2009 Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject) at the 82nd Academy Awards.[https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2010 2010{{!}}Oscars.org] The film premiered on HBO on 12 May 2010.
Synopsis
Music by Prudence tells a self-empowering story of one young woman's struggle who, together with her band, overcomes seemingly insurmountable odds and, in her own voice, conveys to the world that "disability does not mean inability."
Zimbabwean singer-songwriter Prudence Mabhena was born severely disabled. The society she was born into considers disabilities to carry the taint of witchcraft.{{cite news|url=http://www.sfbayview.com/2010/oscar-nomination-for-%E2%80%98music-by-prudence%E2%80%99-about-disabled-zimbabwean-singer-prudence-mabhena/|title=Oscar nomination for 'Music by Prudence' about disabled Zimbabwean singer Prudence Mabhena|date=5 March 2010|publisher=San Francisco BayView|accessdate=21 March 2010}} Because of this, many disabled children are abandoned. But Prudence and the seven young members of the band she has formed called Liyana, all disabled, have managed to overcome stereotypes and inspire the same people that once saw them as a curse.
The main subjects of Music by Prudence, and members of the band "Liyana", are:
- Prudence Mabhena – singer and composer (suffers from arthrogryposis)
- Tapiwa Nyengera – back-up singer, keyboard, front man (has spina bifida)
- Energy Maburutse – first marimba player, back-up vocalist (suffers from osteogenesis imperfecta, brittle bone syndrome)
- Honest Mupatse – tenor marimba player (has hemophilia)
- Marvelous Mbulo – back-up singer (has muscular dystrophy)
- Vusani Vuma – bass marimba player (is hearing-impaired)
- Goodwell Nzou – traditional drums and percussion, back-up singer (leg amputated)
- Farai Mabhande – lead keyboardist (also suffers from arthrogryposis)
Awards
On 7 March 2010, Music by Prudence won the 2009 Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject).[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaHEj3agOYA Short Film Winners: 2010 Oscars]
Elinor Burkett and Roger Ross Williams clashed during the production of the film, with Burkett claiming that she had initially conceived the project before Williams changed its focus; Williams later denied both assertions.{{cite news|url = https://vancouversun.com/news/oscar-interrupted-the-story-behind-elinor-burketts-kanye-moment|title = Oscar Interrupted: The story behind Elinor Burkett's 'Kanye moment'|last = Parry|first = Chris|date = 7 March 2010|accessdate = 5 December 2024|newspaper = Vancouver Sun}}{{cite news|url = https://www.salon.com/2010/03/08/music_by_prudence_burkett/|title = The story behind Oscar's "Kanye moment"|last = Lauerman|first = Kerry|date = 8 March 2010|accessdate = 5 December 2024|website = Salon}} The dispute eventually led to legal action which was settled. However, when the film won the Academy Award, Burkett interrupted Williams during his acceptance speech, which news media likened to Kanye West interrupting Taylor Swift's speech at the MTV Video Music Awards the year before.{{cite news|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100311031641/https://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Movies/03/09/oscar.speech.interrupted/index.html|title = Oscar interrupter says she was wronged|url = https://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Movies/03/09/oscar.speech.interrupted/index.html|archive-date = 11 March 2010|accessdate = 5 December 2024|date = 10 March 2010|last = Duke|first = Alan|work = CNN}}
See also
- iThemba, another documentary film about Liyana
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb title|1543539|Music by Prudence}}
- [http://www.musicbyprudence.com/ Official website]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20100509200045/http://liyanatour.com/ Official Liyana Website]
- {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20090721010801/http://www.kinggeorge6.org/ King George VI Centre and School for Children with Physical Disabilities]}}
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCXr8pg59GE Excerpt]
{{AcademyAwardBestDocumentaryShort 2001–2020}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Music By Prudence}}
Category:Best Documentary Short Subject Academy Award winners
Category:American short documentary films
Category:Films shot in Zimbabwe
Category:Documentary films about people with disabilities
Category:Documentary films about poverty
Category:2010 short documentary films
Category:Documentary films about singers
Category:Documentary films about women in music
Category:2010s English-language films