Last night Music by Prudence screened at the Gala opening of the first annual International Disability Film Festival, Abära, organized by Arts & Disability Ireland.

Darren Mooney, winner of “best pop-culture blog” Irish Blog Awards, gave the film a raving review. Here are some highlights:

“Music by Prudence is an absolutely fascinating documentary from director Roger Ross Williams, looking at the band Liyana, fronted by Prudence Mabhena. The thirty-three minute documentary does a wonderfully effective job giving us a snapshot into the Zimbabwean band, composed of faculty and students from the King George VI Centre and School for Children with Physical Disabilities. The runtime is remarkably short, but Williams compensates by giving us a whirlwind introduction to the band’s lead singer, who has enough charm and wit to carry a far longer documentary. The band themselves provide a beautiful soundtrack, and there’s talk of them releasing two albums off the back of the film’s success.”

“Prudence herself attended the screening and announced her presence, before she’d even come in the door, with a stirring version of Amazing Grace. It was really something, and she has an undeniable talent. Similarly, there’s a wonderful sense of affection shared between Prudence and her band mates, with Prudence herself serving as something of a den mother – at one point, confiscating a phone off a band mate who is distracted from driving his wheelchair. Thirty minutes is an incredibly brief amount of time to spend with somebody, and it takes considerable effort to give us such a complete sketch in so short a time – the film is remarkably structured and well-handled.”

“Prudence explains that most births in Zimbabwe are cause for celebration, and that the only exception is for those children born with disabilities. It feels like Prudence Mabhena finally got her well-earned celebration.”

Read the full review here.

Music by Prudence > Oscar winning documentary by Roger Ross Williams, Raving Irish Review

A glowing review for Music by Prudence appeared in New York’s Daily News:

“Music by Prudence,” which on the surface looks to be the story of a plucky African girl who loves to sing, turns out to be all that and a lot more.

If you love “Glee” and you especially love Kevin McHale’s Artie Abrams character, the one in the wheelchair, Prudence Mabhena is in several ways a real-life Artie.

She shares his exuberance, his love of music and his dedication to performing it well without bowing to physical limitations.

It’s only in all the other areas that Prudence’s real life differs from Artie’s life. Prudence has climbed mountains to get where she is today, and she will have to climb even higher mountains to get where she wants to go.

Director and producer Roger Ross Williams won an Academy Award for “Music by Prudence,” which runs just 33 minutes but has the heart and substance of a film three times as long.

He mostly shoots Prudence in closeups, in which she looks strikingly beautiful. He fills the film with music of the band Liyana, in which she sings the lead vocals with a strong, melodic voice that would fit easily into popular music anywhere.

It’s only when he pulls the camera back that we understand about the mountains. Prudence was born with arthrogryposis, a cruel disorder that stunts some bones and makes other bend.

Prudence effectively has no legs, and her arms are so twisted that she must curl her hands almost into a circle to grip a pen and write. Her spine is permanently bent forward.

It’s been easier to overcome all of that, though, than to endure the human indifference.
Disabled babies in her native country, Zimbabwe, are often though to be the product of witchcraft, so they may be neglected or abandoned.

Prudence’s father left after she was born, her mother when Prudence was 2. She was brought up by her grandmother, who sang to her, until she was 7, when she was sent to her father and his new wife.

The new wife alternately abused and neglected Prudence, who recalls that many days she would drag and claw herself out into the yard and lie all day under a mango tree.

At 9, she was sent to King George VI School, where it turned out all that singing by her grandmother had nurtured a natural gift. She joined the choir, which led to Liyana.

Now 21, she teaches music and dance at the school and writes music for Liyana. The band members’ dream is to make a living – and, yes, become famous – through their music.

Spirited as Artie may be, his story on “Glee” is unlikely ever to match the power of Prudence’s.

Source: New York Daily News

Music by Prudence > Oscar winning documentary by Roger Ross Williams, Review: Like Artie from ‘Glee’, ‘Music by Prudence’ star won’t bow to limitations when it comes to music