Documentary Showcase Shines a Light on Unsung Heroes of the Orchestra with The Bowmakers

 Scientology Network’s Documentary Showcase, the weekly series providing a platform for independent filmmakers to air films on important social, cultural and environmental issues, presents the documentary The Bowmakers.

Documentary Showcase airs Fridays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Scientology Network.

The Bowmakers is an eye-opening account on the surprising significance of the bow. Hailed by experts as an instrument in itself, the bow is critical in shaping the sound of even the world’s finest stringed instruments. Going from the workshops of the few remaining masters to the forests of Brazil, where the trees from which the finest bows are made, the film celebrates the value of the old-world craftsmanship and the importance of passing on the secrets to a new generation.

Directed by Ward Serrill, The Bowmakers illuminates the importance of communities working together in creating the world’s most timeless music – from the farmers who harvest the wood and craftsmen who spend years perfecting the techniques to musicians and composers who strive to express the full range of colors from the instruments.

About Ward Serrill

Ward Serrill is the award-winning writer and director of The Heart of the Game, released to wide critical acclaim, as well as The Bowmakers. He has created more than 90 short films including Building One House and Wild America. He recently completed his fourth feature, Dancing with the Dead: the Life and Times of Red Pine. Ward’s memoir, To Crack the World Open—Solitude, Alaska, and a Dog Named Woody was published by Girl Friday Books. His inaugural book of poetry, The Underside Color of Green, was published in 2023.

Abut Rocky Friedman

Rocky Friedman has been managing the 1907 Rose Theatre in Port Townsend’s National Historic District for 27 years. At the time of its restoration in 1992, it was recognized by the Washington State Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation as the last surviving nickelodeon in the state. The Rose has been presenting independent and Hollywood films, including documentaries, foreign, classics and programming from the Metropolitan Opera, National Theatre of London and the Bolshoi Ballet. Friedman co-founded the Port Townsend Film Festival and the School of Athens Lecture Series. He is a 1976 graduate of the University of Southern California Department of Cinema. The Bowmakers is his first film as a producer.

About Documentary Showcase

Fundamental to Scientology is a humanitarian mission that extends to some 200 nations with programs for human rights, human decency, literacy, morality, drug prevention and disaster relief. For this reason, the Scientology Network provides a platform for Independent filmmakers who embrace a vision of building a better world.

Documentary Showcase debuts films weekly from award-winning Independent filmmakers whose goal is to improve society by raising awareness of social, cultural and environmental issues.

For more information, visit Scientology.tv/docs.

About Scientology Network

The Scientology Network debuted on March 12, 2018. Since launching, the Scientology Network has been viewed in over 240 countries and territories worldwide in 17 languages. Satisfying the curiosity of people about Scientology, the network takes viewers across six continents, spotlighting the everyday lives of Scientologists; showing the Church as a global organization; and presenting its social betterment programs that have touched the lives of millions worldwide. The network also showcases documentaries by Independent filmmakers who represent a cross section of cultures and faiths, but share a common purpose of uplifting communities. Scientology Network’s innovative content has been recognized with more than 125 industry awards, including Tellys, Communitas and Hermes Creative Awards.

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