The Tuba Thieves

Premiered May 20, 2024

Directed by Alison O’Daniel

The central mystery of this unconventional documentary is the nature of sound itself.

About the Documentary

What is the role of sound and what does it mean to listen? Hard of hearing filmmaker Alison O’Daniel uses a series of tuba thefts in Los Angeles high schools as a jumping-off point to explore these questions. Through several d/Deaf people telling stories in a unique game of telephone, the central mystery of The Tuba Thieves isn’t about theft of instruments; it’s about the nature of sound itself.

The Filmmakers

Alison O’Daniel

Alison O’Daniel is a visual artist and filmmaker based in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Included in Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 New Faces of Independent Film, she’s a recipient of Louis Comfort Tiffany and Creative Capital Awards. Represented by Commonwealth and Council, she is an assistant professor of film at California College of the Arts.

Su Kim

Su Kim is an Academy Award-nominated and Emmy®️ and Peabody Award-winning producer. Her films in release include Bitterbrush; the OSCAR®️ and Primetime Emmy®️-nominated Hale County This Morning, This Evening; and Midnight Traveler.

Maya E Rudolph

Maya E. Rudolph is a producer, filmmaker, and writer. In 2022, she joined Louverture Films as Vice President of Nonfiction. Her work as a nonfiction producer includes The Tuba Thieves, Shirkers, and Cablestreet; and the Emmy-nominated Netflix original series The Andy Warhol Diaries.

Racehel Nederveld

Rachel Nederveld is an independent producer based in Los Angeles and Louisiana. She is an alum of the Sundance Producing Fellowship, IFP Cannes Producing Fellowship, Points North Fellowship, and Tribeca Film Institute’s All Access program. Her films have premiered at Sundance, TIFF, Tribeca, SXSW, and more.