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'Two Hands,' an Oscar Nominee with Heart

Pianist Leon Fleisher is the subject of the Oscar-nominated short documentary <em>Two Hands</em>.
Fred Dufour
/
Getty Images
Pianist Leon Fleisher is the subject of the Oscar-nominated short documentary Two Hands.

Leon Fleisher, a celebrated pianist, was forced from the concert stage when he lost the use of his right hand.

His 30-year saga to resume his career is the subject of an Oscar-nominated short documentary by filmmaker Nathaniel Kahn, Two Hands.

Kahn was nominated for an Academy Award in 2003 for the documentary My Architect, about searching for a father he never really knew.

In Two Hands, the camera captures subtle, emotional moments as the pianist tries everything from hypnosis to tiger balm to heal himself. Through a series of interviews and concert pieces, Fleisher's injured hand becomes a central character.

Kahn tells Liane Hansen about the movie and the challenges of documentary filmmaking.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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Federal funding is gone.

Congress has eliminated all funding for public media.

That means $2.1 million per year that Connecticut Public relied on to deliver you news, information, and entertainment programs you enjoyed is gone.

The future of public media is in your hands.

All donations are appreciated, but we ask in this moment you consider starting a monthly gift as a Sustainer to help replace what’s been lost.