A new 18-minute documentary explores the current fight for the conservation of pernambuco (Paubrasilia echinata), the Brazilian hardwood used to make nearly all stringed-instrument bows. The film includes interviews with US cellist Coleman Itzkoff, bow maker Christophe Landon, national park manager Aline Polli and Marcelo Lopes, president and CEO of the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra.

Directed by Iona Horton and Luisa Barone, The Final Bow examines whether the species can survive in the long term, and explores the ramifications for the future of classical music. The film won the Pulitzer Center Post-Graduate Reporting Fellowship in 2025, and has been selected as one of 20 films for the Yahoo Nonfiction Hotlist collection.

Read: Fate of pernambuco bows decided at CITES conference

Read: Same soul. New roots. Mexican pernambuco – a sustainable choice for the future of bow making

Read: Tourte cello bow achieves world record price at auction

 

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