SoundTrack_Cologne

🎉Ensemble Modern - Why We Play, received the Honorable Mention · See the Sound Music Documentary Award!

"Thorsten Schütte's film about Ensemble Modern succeeds in portraying the complex world of contemporary music as a fascinating exploration of sound and an adventure with musical instruments", said the jury, and added they appreciate it the film's ability to bring contemporary music closer to a wider audience.

"Through its outstanding sound mix, the documentary immerses the audience in the ensemble’s work and gives a clear understanding of its sound exploration.", they concluded.

Cinematographer Andreas Wunderlich received the prize in the name of director Thorsten Schütte.

🎉The See the Sound Music Documentary Award went to Pauline Black: A 2 Tone Story, directed by Jane Mingay, a portrait of Pauline Black, lead vocalist of The Selecter and pioneer of the 2 Tone movement, whose fusion of punk and ska carried an unambiguous anti-racist message through the turbulent late 1970s.

📹"As co-writer, Pauline reflects in this moving music documentary –full of twists and surprises– her life story, which has been shaped throughout her career by racism, inequality in the music industry and the resulting identity issues. We were deeply moved by her story and particularly appreciated the use of archival footage", expressed the jury -Sonia Gonzalez, Cécile Lacharme and Olaf Karnik- during the Award Ceremony.

Pauline Black received the statuette in the name of the director Jane Mingay and the producer Nikki Parrott.

🎉The Peer Raben Music Award, judged by Clémentine Charuel, Nathan Larson, Caroline Kox, and Antonio de Luca, was presented to Ksenia Ignatenko & Leticia Goás for their score for A Better You.

In their statement, the jury shared: "This work excited the jury beyond its mere musicality, sparking a conversation between us about our shared craft, about what it means to work within a community. You can hear when composers have a mission beyond fulfilling the task at hand. When they are developing an aesthetic and working toward satisfying a bigger, internal need. Operating on multiple levels, the composition does not stop at the score, but extends into very carefully handled diegetic and source moments that tie the narrative together and give a sense of a complete, encapsulated world. From electronic to vocal experimentation, with orchestral elements that vary between short iconic underscoring and intense microtonality, this is a score that transcends the boundaries of a student film, all the while embracing the risk of working within multiple genres, incorporating and shaping actors' improvisations, and recording live with real instruments."

🎉 "The personification of the plant and computer creates a very strong connection with the audience. Through immersive ambiences, the plant becomes the main character in a laconic and humorous way”, stated the jury by giving the honourable mention in the category of Sound Design to Maja Zielinska.

🎉Composer Andrea Neri received the Honourable Mention of the European Talent Award in the category of Score.

"The honorable mention stands out for its strong musical core, the pure and natural of its instrumentation, and a memorable ending where an archaic Latin recitation echoes through a megaphone", expressed the jury during the STC23 Award Ceremony.

Congratulations to Andrea!

🎉The European Talent Award Sound Design at SoundTrack_Cologne 23 was conferred to Natalija Strahinić and Nataša Šormaz for their work on the film FAKE NEWS by .

The jury praised the winning sound design for featuring "a rich and detailed soundtrack, emotional character design, and an impressive dynamic range," noting that "with its smart balance between organic and technical soundscapes, it creates a unique & dystopic sonic world that is both dark and funny at the same time."


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🎉The WDR Filmscore Award went to Nicolas Soulatre Varea. The jury, Panu Aaltio, Corinna Rottschy, Mirjam Skal, and Christoph Hundt, expressed they were "impressed by the unique instrumentation, the strong use of leitmotifs, and the excellent understanding of dramaturgy."

They added: "The score made the severity of the topic of fake news tangible, and the combination of orchestral and electronic sounds created an interesting musical language."

🎉SoundTrack_Cologne 23 presented the Career Achievement Award to Golden Globe- and two-time Emmy-nominated composer Christopher Young, who has scored an impressive number of features in virtually every genre, including Spider-Man 3, The Shipping News, and Hellraiser.

Young received the prize with visible emotion, expressing his profound admiration for the new generation of composers who are carving out their paths in the film industry.

In a touching laudatory speech, Fernando Carmena, creative director of the Europäische FilmPhilharmonie, paid tribute to a composer whose work continues to shape the sound of film today. "This award is for the Christopher of the 80's, the 90's, of today, and for the Christopher of the future," concluded Carmena.

🎉A festive evening at the COMEDIA Theater marked the close of SoundTrack_Cologne's 23rd edition on Friday, July 17th. The Award Ceremony celebrated the winners of our competitions and honoured some of the most inspiring voices in film and media music, wrapping up a gripping week filled with almost 70 panels and networking sessions.

🏆Five prizes and three honorary mentions were awarded during the event, including the Career Achievement Award to composer Christopher Young, one of the most prolific and versatile voices in contemporary film music.

🎼With the Neue Rheinische Kammerorchester conducted by Yati Durant, the ceremony featured live performances of works by this year's guests of honour: Christopher Young (Shortcut to Happiness), Mirjam Skal (Anima – Flight 111), Aisling Brouwer (Pompeii Suite), John Lunn (Downton Abbey Suite), Carsten Rocker (Tafiti: Across The Desert), Natalie Hausmann (Toivo), and Boxed Ape (Alistair Kerley & Frankie Harper Suite).

🎶 𝗪𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗽 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸_𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗲 𝟮𝟯

The last day of SoundTrack_Cologne brought together composers and industry professionals for inspiring discussions on 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗧𝗩 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗺, alongside dedicated sessions exploring the art of 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸.

🎬 Throughout the day, audiences watched the films nominated for this year's European Talent Competition, celebrating a new generation of creative voices.

🏆 The festival concluded with the 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗖𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘆
at the Roter Saal, accompanied by the 𝗡𝗲𝘂𝗲𝘀 𝗥𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝗞𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿-𝗢𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗞𝗼̈𝗹𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗯𝘆 𝗬𝗮𝘁𝗶 𝗗𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁 and the presentation of the 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴—a memorable finale to an inspiring week.

Thank you to everyone who joined us—speakers, composers, filmmakers, partners, volunteers and audiences—for making SoundTrack_Cologne 23 such a memorable edition.

Until next time, Cologne! 👋🎼