“Nearly a decade in the making, Following Pál was created as a testament to resilience, memory, and the enduring power of music across generations.”
Exciting News!
This announcement was 10 years in the making…
“Following Pál, and The Lost Cello Concerto” is officially picture locked!
Thank you to all of the artists, musicians and supporters, and especially Paul and Corrie, for making this moment possible.
Stay tuned for an announcement about plans for film festivals and the world premiere!
On May 15, 1944, Convoy 73 departed the Drancy concentration camp outside Paris carrying 878 Jewish prisoners. All but 22 were never seen again. Among them was Pál Hermann—virtuoso cellist, composer and devoted father.
Following Pál traces Hermann’s extraordinary story, from his birth in Budapest, Hungary, on March 27, 1902, to his tragic disappearance during the Holocaust. With the help of his daughter, Corrie, who is now in her 90s, and grandson, Paul, the film brings to life the remarkable life of a musical prodigy whose brilliance was silenced too soon.
However, Hermann’s legacy endures.
When Corrie discovered the sheet music for her father’s unfinished cello concerto, her son Paul took up the mission to complete it. Collaborating with musicians from the Colburn School in Los Angeles, Paul worked to bring Hermann’s lost music back to life.
Though they never met, Paul's dedication to his grandfather’s unfinished masterpiece has reopened a forgotten chapter of 20th-century music.
Introducing:
Following Pál and The Lost Cello Concerto
Director’s Statement
I first heard Pal Hermann’s music while filming his case study at the Colburn School. One particular piece, the Duo for Violin and Cello, moved me to tears, to the point that I struggled to keep the camera steady. In that moment, I felt an immediate connection to the artist behind the music.
His music not only led me to his extraordinary story through his family’s telling, but it opened my eyes to the countless voices—artists like Hermann—whose stories have gone missing, have been forgotten, or risk fading from history.
For me, Following Pál is not just a film about music, it’s about how music carries memory, identity, and history across generations.
Pál Hermann’s voice was nearly lost, but through the efforts of his daughter Corrie, his grandson Paul, and the musicians who completed his unfinished concerto, his legacy is alive again.
What began with a piece of music that moved me to tears and has grown into a story about resilience, loss, and rediscovery.
