Co-directors Ben Proudfoot and Kris Bowers, who accepted the award, say that the film was a labor of love. Kris Bowers had a personal connection, having grown up in the school district, spending as much time as he could with the piano there, leading him to a career in music as a film composer.
Although Bowers would not meet Steve Bagmanyan until he began working on this film, Bowers discovered that Steve had been the piano tuner that tuned the instrument in his school.
Bagmanyan recognized that when a student's instrument would break or need repair, they would be without the instrument. Knowing how life-changing playing an instrument can be, Bagmanyan was determined that this couldn't happen in his city. Along with a handful of skilled craftspeople, Steve became the supervisor of the repair shop, where miracles happen.
Read more about the film.
Watch the full 40-minute documentary that features an orchestra of LAUSD alumni.