THIS FILM project started in 2018 as a documentation of the life and work of the Tasmanian piano tuner-technician Martin Tucker. Soon it became clear that the piano tuner’s lifeline, his sense of purpose and direction, is provided by clients – piano people – and that they should become a fundamental part of the film. From that point on, with his clients' unconditional trust, unlimited playfulness and, often, mad passion for acoustic pianos, we embark on a film journey across Australia, visiting pianos in homes, schools, community halls, churches and on verandas.
​
Natalia Laska, behind the camera, was initially supported by Michael Gissing, cinematographer and sound engineer. They formed a no-budget but high-passion film duo that followed the quirky piano tuner. Sydney, based editor Melanie Sandford joined the team and edited the film’s first version.
In 2021, ABC Compass broadcasted this 25-minute “The Piano Tuner” film, produced by the late Roger Scholes, a well-known and respected Tasmanian filmmaker (“The Tale of Ruby Rose”, 1987).
The Piano Tuner film topped the ABC Compass ratings for their series that year! The community screenings of this ABC version of the film at The Peacock Theatre in Hobart, Tasmania, were also a sold-out success; our audience voted with their feet for more to come. On the hype of the initial broadcast, the ABC re-ran the film twice in 2022, and the film’s social media site was flooded with comments, piano stories, and enquiries from all over Australia.
​
Post-COVID, the environment was ripe for a continuation of the film, expanding
it into a full feature-length documentary. We secured JOTZ Productions - Tom Zubrycki and Julia Overton, both legends in the Australian film industry. JOTZ successfully obtained financial support from both Screen Australia and Screen Tasmania. This time the film’s post-production was handled by Fiona Strain (Australian Screen Editors, ASE) and Michael Gissing who mastered colour and sound. Martin Tucker composed the film soundtrack, involving a group of musicians from Darwin.
Now completed, The Piano Tuner film (90 min) is ready to be released in 2026.
We would like to thank everyone
involved in the making!
​
We accumulated an enormous amount of footage, and those stories that did not make it into the feature length film will be shown at film's YouTube Channel (soon).
