Also available on Blu-ray

"This Spanish-language documentary offers something not often seen in the movies -- a portrayal of urban poverty that isn't despairing or sensational, but instead, optimistic and hopeful."
-- David Ng, Los Angeles Times

EL SISTEMA – Music to Change Life
A film by Paul Smaczny and Maria Stodtmeier

With José Antonio Abreu, Gustavo Dudamel , Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra

Music by Ravel, Munoz, Gutierrez, Prado, Marguez, Tchaikovsky, Márquez, Beethoven, Mendoza, Piazolla, Ginastera, Hernández, Bernstein and Yánez

- "El Sistema", Venezuela's revolutionary system of music education, brings joy and hope to the lives of hundreds of thousands of impoverished children.

- This lyrical and very moving documentary takes us from the rubbish dumps and barrios of Caracas to the world’s finest concert halls. Children from streets dominated by the gun battles of gang warfare are taken into music schools, given access to music, and taught through the model of the symphony orchestra how to build a better society and a better world.

- Venezuela’s unique system of music education takes children from violent slums and turns some of them in world class musicians. Gustavo Dudamel is the most prominent pupil of El Sistema, now being named the LA Philharmonic's next music director as of the 2009-2010 season.

- “El Sistema” shows how Venezuelan visionary Jose Antonio Abreu has changed the lives of hundred of thousands of children over the past three decades. Abreu earned several renowned prizes for his achievements, including the Crystal Award of the World Economic Forum, the TED Prize, and recently the Polar Music Prize, given by the Royal Swedish Academy of Music.

Picture format: NTSC; 16:9
Sound formats: PCM Stereo, DD 5.1, DTS 5.1
Region code: 0
Original language: Spanish
Subtitles: English, French, German
Booklet Notes: French, German, English
Running time: 100 min + 8 min bonus