José Antonio Abreu

Hundreds of children and youth orchestras around the world are emerging musical inspired by the Venezuelan phenomenon known as "The System." This rebellion of thousands of children are being held internationally to give children everywhere the opportunity to grow in an atmosphere of creativity, companionship, entertainment, art, discipline and high social values. The brilliant and charismatic Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel leads to an unforgettable journey to some of the most remote corners of the world, about the transformative stories of a group of children who bring us a clear and powerful message: "music is a universal right. " Filmed in seven countries, Dudamel: the sound of children is a journey into the bowels of this global phenomenon that elevates the importance of art as a spiritual weapon against a dehumanized world.

El Sistema is a network of childrens and youth orchestras, music centres and workshops in Venezuela, in which more than 250,000 children and young people are currently learning to play an instrument. It was set up over thirty years ago by José Antonio Abreu, who was driven by the utopian vision of a better future. In the dangerous and poverty-stricken shanty towns of Caracas, Abreu lifts children out of poverty through music, changing both people and structures. The film El Sistema shows how Abreus astonishing ideas have led the way out of the vicious circle of poverty - and how the power of music has been able to change the lives of hundreds of thousands of young people.

The captivating story of the Venezuelan Youth Orchestra System - an incredible network of hundreds of orchestras formed within most of Venezuela’s towns and villages. Once a modest program designed to expose rural children to the wonders of music, the system has become one of the most important and beautiful music phenomena in modern history. To Play and To Fight presents interviews and performances by many of the world’s most renowned musicians including the great tenor Placido Domingo, Claudio Abbado, Sir Simon Rattle, Guiseppe Sinopoli, and Eduardo Mata, as they reflect on the impact of such a far-reaching social project. The documentary also presents the inspirational stories of world class musicians who have been trained by the Venezuelan system, including The Berlin Philharmonic’s youngest player Edicson Ruiz and world class conductor Gustavo Dudamel.