The Last Repair Shop

2024 0h 40m EN

🙌

7.5

BANGER

★7.5TMDB · 46

DocumentaryMusic

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In a warehouse in the heart of Los Angeles, a dwindling handful of devoted craftspeople maintain more than 80,000 student musical instruments, the largest remaining workshop in America of its kind. Meet four unforgettable characters whose broken-and-repaired lives have been dedicated to bringing so much more than music to the schoolchildren of this city.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Dana Atkinson
Self
Duane Michaels
Self
Paty Moreno
Self
Steve Bagmanyan
Self
Ken Burget
Self - The Piano Tuner
Vincent Womack
Self - L.A.U.S.D. Music Teacher Since 19987
Boris Karloff
The Monster (archive footage) (uncredited)
Tom Parker
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Kris Bowers
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 40-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 2 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Kris Bowers, shot by David Feeney-Mosier. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Katya Richardson. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Nick Garnham Wright shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Dana Atkinson and Duane Michaels and Paty Moreno carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt29118186 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 46 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Kris Bowers directs. David Feeney-Mosier behind the camera. Katya Richardson scores. Nick Garnham Wright cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 40-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
2Released 2 years ago.
3Directed by Kris Bowers, shot by David Feeney-Mosier. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Katya Richardson. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Nick Garnham Wright shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Dana Atkinson and Duane Michaels and Paty Moreno carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt29118186 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 46 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: David Feeney-Mosier
Original score: Katya Richardson
Editing: Nick Garnham Wright
Sound: Sean Higgins
Runtime: 40 min · 0h 40m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: The Last Repair Shop (2024)

Awards

Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject)

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Kris Bowers

A Concerto Is a Conversation
2020 · ★ 6.8

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-03-22
★ 7/10
This is quite an engaging documentary that introduces us to four specialist technicians who maintain some of the musical instruments that are provided free to pupils in the Los Angeles school system. Prefaced by a few words from each of the children who benefit from the violins, tubas, pianos and saxophones to name but a few, we then meet four of the people - from a variety of interesting, sometimes quite traumatic, backgrounds - as they show us just how meticulously they work to keep these instruments alive and useful. To be honest, I could have been doing with just a little more performance from the would-be students, but these characters who put their heart and soul into preserving these musical tools come across as dedicated and passionate. The same can be said for the students - especially the young violinist at the start whose smile just about says it all. We end with a rousing section from the alumni of students who have benefitted over the years and this is a fine testament to the role of music in an education system that doesn't just focus on the academic.

Production companies