(Trailer can be downloaded)

Philip Glass's achievements in music – film scores, operas, symphonies – make him one of the most important composers of our era, crossing divides between elitist concert halls and popular venues. His minimalist compositions are so iconic that he has been featured as a character on "The Simpsons."

Director Scott Hicks demonstrated his own knack for popularizing classical music in his 1996 film Shine about the pianist David Helfgott. In "Glass: A portrait of Philip in twelve parts," Hicks traces an eventful year in Glass's life, as he stages the opera Waiting for the Barbarians, writes his eighth symphony, takes his annual ride on the Cyclone roller coaster, scores several films, travels to three continents, and maintains a family with his fourth wife, Holly.