"Instruments Of A Beating Heart" had its world premiere in the Shorts Program: One-of-a-Kind of DC/DOX Film Festival 2024. Edited down from Ema Ryan Yamazaki's 2023 feature "The Making of a Japanese," the film documents the challenge presented to the first graders in a Tokyo public elementary school of performing "Ode to Joy" at the ceremony for the new incoming first graders as their assignment for the final semester. Director Yamazaki was kind enough to spend some time speaking with us about her work on the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now available to stream on YouTube and is up for your consideration for this year's Academy Awards for Best Documentary Short Film. Thank you, and enjoy!

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