Moritz Daniel Oppenheim, the so-called ‘painter of the Rothschilds and the Rothschild of painters’, was the first Jewish painter of the modern era. Oppenheim came to represent the emancipation of German Jews in the nineteenth century, although his work depicting traditional Jewish life has mostly been forgotten. With an extraordinary collaborative soundtrack fusing electronic music with classical composition performed by the string quartet of the Frankfurt Philharmonic Orchestra, this powerful documentary explores the seminal artist’s traces — and lingering impact — across Germany, France and Israel.

The violinist, Irmgard Hitzig, is 89 and can’t sit up straight in her armchair any more. Nonetheless her passion for music is fierce and she approaches her work as a music teacher with an unrelenting vigour. Uisenma Borchu’s depiction of this very special woman emerges from their dialogue and interaction. This is not a classic portrait, rather the record of an encounter.