Adrian's Prelude tells the story of a crucial period in an apprentice pianist's life, when he reveals himself as a potential concert performer. Director Laëtitia Gaudin-Le Puil filmed this coming of age up close and personal. Her hero, Adrian Herpe, Ukrainian by mother, Breton by father, experiences this prelude to a promising career at the Oujhorod music school not far from Lviv. Driven by boundless ambition and besieged by recommendations, Adrian let himself be guided without flinching. He works hard, but beyond impeccable technique, it's all about revealing the works and conveying their emotion to the audience. You mustn't play like a student, but like a great artist! his teacher tells him.

It's a moving experience to see people come into their own through storytelling. This is truly the case here, with the added opportunity to take a look at pre-war Ukraine, with scenes of everyday life captured on the fly in the spaces and places through which Adrian travels. What has become of these people, especially the women who encouraged and pampered him, and who burst into tears when they saw him leave for the West?