The Children of Willesden Lane

Based on the true story of author Mona Golabek's mother, Lisa Jura Golabek, THE CHILDREN OF WILLESDEN LANE begins when Lisa, a 14-year-old piano prodigy in Vienna, is sadly told by her piano instructor that he's no longer allowed to teach Jewish children. The restrictions in the city rapidly mount, and when her parents are able to secure a place on the Kindertransport to London, they send Lisa to what they hope will be safety. After a few false starts, she winds up at a hostel on Willesden Lane, which miraculously has a piano. The matron reads about an upcoming audition at the Royal Academy of Music. After Lisa's daily work at a factory, she practices long hours, despite war shortages and illness. Her new friends help her prepare, but what really motivates her is the promise she made to her mother to "hold on" to her music. Lisa's relentless in her pursuit of perfection at the keyboard and efforts to rescue her younger sister, who arrives on the very last Kindertransport. When Lisa finds out that she passed the audition, the whole hostel applauds. Then she begins the hard work of training with a master teacher to achieve her goal of becoming a concert pianist.