It has been an exciting year for talented AMEB music and Speech & Drama student, Hugo. Earlier this year, Hugo was cast as the young Wolfgang Mozart in a film entitled Mozart’s Sister, produced by Media Stockade and due for release mid-2024.
This multi-talented young man is still only nine years of age, and he already has over a dozen AMEB exam achievements under his belt for piano, various stringed instruments, music theory and Speech & Drama. This rounded experience made him a natural for the role of one of the world’s most famous child prodigies.
Mozart’s Sister explores the fascinating theory that Maria Anna Mozart - Mozart’s sister, music partner and early creative collaborator - played a larger role than previously known and turns our gaze to the unrecognised female composers of our time.
Director Madeleine Hetherton-Miau was intrigued to learn that Wolfgang Mozart had a talented older sister and began researching Maria Anna Mozart. International production company Media Stockade then developed a fascinating tale about the life of Maria Anna Mozart that had been lost in history.
The story follows the two Mozart children from the time they first started to learn music, through to their grand tour of Europe, a three-year odyssey across thousands of kilometers and eighty-eight cities. During the tour, both children performed to the reigning kings and queens of Austria, France, Germany, Holland and England with Maria Anna often receiving top billing.
There is extensive footage of Maria Anna (Chloe) and Wolfgang (Hugo) performing in the movie. Authentic musical ability was a core casting principle applied by Media Stockade when casting the Mozart children. Head of Production, Petrice Graham commented: “All of the children cast in this film had musical training from an early age, great family support and involvement in all kinds of music alongside piano. They had amazing focus, patience and a genuine connection to their musicality and creativity. Filmmaking can be a technical as well as a creative process but the kids were all excellent on set – focused, professional and able to respond well to direction.”
The film will be released in mid-2024. Special event screenings will be held with live performances before the film screenings – possibly featuring talented AMEB students playing Mozart’s works. Look out in future editions of our eNews for further information and announcements closer to the film release.
Follow social media pages for this ground-breaking Australian production in the months ahead:
Facebook: Mozart's Sister Documentary @mozart.s.sister.documentary
Instagram: mozartssisterfilm @mozartssisterfilm
Image by Alina Gozin'a
© Media Stockade