MONK IN PIECES
by Billy Shebar
SYNOPSIS
Visionary Meredith Monk overcame hostile critics to become one of the great artists of her generation. She now ponders how her work can go on without her.
DETAILS
95 / 59 mins
2025
USA, Germany
English
CREDITS
A film by Billy Shebar
Featuring: Meredith Monk, Björk, David Byrne, John Schaefer, Ping Chong, Joanna Lynn-Jacobs, Lanny Harrison, Julia Wolfe
Directed, written and produced by Billy Shebar and David Roberts
Producer: Susan Margolin
Co-producers: Katie Geissinger, Sabine Krayenbühl
Commissioning Editor: ZDF/ARTE, Sabine Bubeck-Paaz
Cinematographers: Jeff Hutchens, Ben Stechschulte
Editor: Sabine Krayenbühl
Animation: Paul Barritt
Sound Design: Dominic Bartolini
Production Sound: Aaron Chandler, Brian Perry
Additional Editing: Eric Nagy, John Sears
Assistant Editor: Miles Shebar
BIOGRAPHY
DIRECTOR - BILLY SHEBAR
Billy Shebar (director) is an Emmy-nominated filmmaker known for High Noon on the Waterfront (2022), with John Turturro and Edward Norton, which premiered at the Telluride Film Festival and was broadcast on TCM and HBO; and Dark Matter (2007), starring Meryl Streep, which won the Alfred P. Sloan Prize at Sundance. He collaborated with animator Bill Plympton on the New York Times viral web series Trump Bites (2018-2020) and with animator Yoni Goodman on the three-part crime series Doctor’s Orders (2021), which continues to stream on Max, Hulu, Amazon, and other platforms.
SELECT FESTIVALS
BERLINALE 2025〡THESSALONIKI INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL 2025〡DOCS BARCELONA 2025〡INDIELISBOA 2025〡HONG KONG FILM FESTIVAL 2025〡DOC NYC SELECTES 2025〡DOKFEST MUNCHEN 2025〡FESTIVAL NO CONVENCIONAL 2025〡KRAKOW FILM FESTIVAL 2025〡DOKUFEST 2025〡MELBOURNE FILM FESTIVAL 2025〡L'ETRANGE FESTIVAL 2025〡FILMFEST GENT 2025
PRESS
"Billy Shebar’s vital documentary makes sense of an artist who's always defied basic understanding... a perfect window into the singular genius of Meredith Monk.”
— IndieWire
"With a subject outrageous and bold, this evocative film will blow you away…Monk in Pieces captures the experimental style and originality of this ageless performer who redefined avant-garde..."
— Hollywood Times
"A vibrant mosaic of Monk's life and work that both honors her prolific output and celebrates her singular vision."
— Hyperallergic
"Presents the rich tapestry of Monk’s music… soaring vocalisations that swoop and loop across her three-octave range…”
"An accessible introduction for newcomers to Monk "
"A kaleidoscopic rather than chronological approach while letting Monk's voice literally sing out over much of it."
— ScreenDaily
“A New Yorker with an astonishing voice and the most vagabond of creative sensibilities, 82-year old Meredith Monk is the genius that few people have ever heard of.”
— Nick Cunningham
“An engaging, relatable, very human story about an uncompromising female artist battling to keep her unique vision alive"
— The Film Verdict
"Monk in Pieces does justice to the unpredictability of [Monk’s] work while retaining a classic and very accessible form."
— Le Polyester
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