Dear Lara
2026, N/R, U.S., Documentary, 94 minutes
Florida Premiere
Filmmakers in Attendance
Director: Lara St. John
Producer: Patrick Hamm
Writers: Lara St. John, Patrick Hamm, Christie Herring
Cast: Lara St. John, Lusiana Lukman, Robie Brown, Lisamarie Vana, Mascha van Sloten, Katherine Needleman, Zeneba Bowers, Heather Bird, Samuel Schultz, Scott St. John, Marci Hamilton, Anne Midgette, Sammy Sussman, Okke Westdorp
Dear Lara is a deeply personal documentary that exposes decades of sexual abuse and institutional complicity in the classical music world.
The story begins in 2019, when renowned violinist Lara St. John speaks out about the sexual assault she endured as a 14-year-old student at the elite Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. After her story is published in The Philadelphia Inquirer, she is flooded with letters and outreach from fellow survivors. Determined to ensure their voices are heard, Lara travels across North America and Europe to meet others who, like her, were failed by the very organizations meant to protect them.
As these personal accounts accumulate, a pattern emerges of institutions shielding predators at the expense of the vulnerable. Blending unflinching testimony, investigative rigor and a haunting original score, the film exposes ingrained practices of harm and cover-ups rooted in power, silence and the protection of reputation over justice.
