The Piano Cemetery

The extraordinary story of two generations in a Lisbon family of carpenters and of a father’s attempt to outrun his fate in the marathon at the Stockholm Olympics in 1912.

Set in the working-class district of Benfica in Lisbon, tells the story of a family, and especially of the hopes and fears of the fathers who pass the baton of the generations on to their sons.

The Lazaro family are cabinet-makers who would rather be piano-makers. They have a carpentry shop in the Benfica district of Lisbon and there at the back is the ‘piano cemetery’ piled high with broken-down pianos that provide the spare parts needed for repairing pianos all over the city. It is a mysterious and magical place, a place of solace, a dreaming place and, above all, a trysting place for lovers.

The Piano Cemetery

The Piano Cemetery