TAMPA, Fla. — At first, Andrew Lee wasn’t sure he’d be interested in making a documentary about a bell tower.
But that changed once he started looking into the people behind the creation at the University of Tampa, known as an Ars Sonora.
“I think people will be surprised at how much emotion is tied to this project. On one hand, you have this family in France that this really represents the culmination of, like, centuries of innovation for them. And on the other hand, you have Tampa benefactor John Sykes, who states in the film this might very well be his last philanthropic contribution to the Tampa Bay area,” said Lee.
The film Lee directed, called The Art of Sound, is part of the Gasparilla Film Festival.
It will be showcased with movies featuring Hollywood stars like Billy Murray, Naomi Watts, and John Travolta.
“It draws films from all over the world. It’s really cool as a local filmmaker to be filmed alongside these celebrities in some of these films,” Lee said.
Former UT President Ronald Vaughn was one of the visionaries behind the tower, and the university funded the documentary to show what it took to make it a reality.
These 60-plus bronze bells are controlled by an electric keyboard.
The documentary also includes UT professor Joshua Cessna composing music for the one-of-a-kind instrument.
“It’s so special, I think, to have an instrument like this in the center of our campus to bring everybody together and to have that one thing in common, Cessna said in the film.
The Art of Sound will be shown Saturday at the AMC Westshore Theater, where most of the Gasparilla Film Festival takes place.
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