Pianist in a Brothel
A pianist in a brothel plays night after night, without so much as a glance in his direction. Growing more depressed and isolated, his world is turned around when somebody leaves him a mysterious note of appreciation.
Awards and screenings
What people are saying
“One would think finding love in a place where love is sold would be an easy thing. Then again, one would think many things. Pianist in a Brothel by Ciaran Crudden is a poetically-cinematic ode to art and love”.
— Maj Jukic, Cine Shots
“Pianist in a Brothel is a rich, visual delight, anchored by a striking central performance from Jeremy Swift (Downton Abbey), painting the story of a lonely musician whose talent and work seems to go unappreciated by those around him.”
— Sinead Beverland, trytheotherguy.co.uk
Pianist in a Brothel
The idea for this film came about after a rather typical client conference call at my day job as a graphic designer. On this particular occasion the client had stripped every ounce of creative risk from our original ideas through several rounds of amends. After the call I sat frustrated with my head in my hands, when a colleague remarked that I was a ‘Pianist in a Brothel’. The phrase immediately struck a chord with me, and in an instant I pictured the film in it’s entirety. I rushed back to my desk, scribbled the outline of the plot on a post-it note and within 24 hours the script was written.
The film questions whether art is really art if it goes unnoticed. The modern world, brimming with billions of screens and shrinking attention spans, presents a daily challenge for artists to cut through the noise and find meaning with an audience.
Written & Directed by Ciaran Crudden
Produced by Clare Shields
Director of Photography - Karl Poyzer
Music by Doug Berwick & Usna McErlane
Edited by Alex Kyrou