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In today's episode, I interview Daniel Persitz, director of the short film "Key of Genius," a story of a young blind autistic savant and the teacher determined to unlock his genius through music.

Listen to hear about the process of casting such a specific character, a brief communication with royalty, and the task of picking which music to feature in a film that focuses so much on playing music.

Books mentioned in this episode include:

• In the Key of Genius: The Extraordinary Life of Derek Paravicini by Adam Ockelford
• Throne of Glass (series) by Sarah J. Maas
• Game of Thrones (series) by George R. R. Martin

Films and TV shows mentioned in this episode include:

• "Key of Genius" directed by Daniel Persitz
• Up directed by Pete Docter
• Back to the Future directed by Robert Zemeckis
• The King's Speech directed by Tom Hooper
• Jurassic Park directed by Steven Spielberg
• Coco directed by Lee Unkrich and Adrian Molina
• The Shawshank Redemption directed by Frank Darabont
• Game of Thrones (series)

Other media mentioned in this episode:

• Enigma Variations by Edward Elgar

Follow Daniel on Instagram @dpersitz and the film @keyofgenius_film. Check out the 60 Minutes video Daniel mentions at the beginning of the interview on YouTube.

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