Origins

When I first held my grandpa’s old violin, it felt like inheriting a tiny piece of family history. My grandpa had started to struggle with dementia, and that violin was one of the last things he passed down to me before he passed away earlier this year. So I decided: why not pick it up and learn to play a bit? Little did I know I was about to dive headfirst into a whole world of violin-making that would end up shaping a film.

Now, enter Strider (my dog), my accidental co-conspirator in chaos. One day, while I was practicing, I quite literally tripped over him. It was one of those slow-motion moments: violin in hand, me about to go down, and I had to make a split-second choice. Either I’d crush the violin, or I’d throw it and hope for the best. Well, I threw it, and let’s just say the fingerboard did not survive the landing. Oops.

But that little disaster led me to a violin shop in Skokie, Illinois, called Seman Violins. Walking in there, I was just blown away by the craftsmanship and the whole vibe of the place. It felt like stepping into this warm, welcoming world of artisans who were keeping a beautiful tradition alive. And that’s when it clicked for me: I had to tell their story.

So that’s how The Luthier was born—out of a family heirloom, a clumsy moment with my dog, and a newfound appreciation for the art of violin-making. And here we are, turning that journey into a little piece of film magic.