Introduced in 2012, the International Film Music Competition will now become an integral part of the Zurich Film Festival’s supporting programme. The competition venue will alternate between one of the festival cinemas and the Tonhalle Zürich. Composers from around the globe are once again invited to enter their film scores and compete for the Golden Eye for 'Best International Film Music 2013', an award endowed with a 10'000 CHF cash prize. The select short film for this year's competition is REIGN OF DEATH (2009, Matthew Savage), which will be ready for download as of April 15, 2013. The five best entries will premiere on September 27 at Sihlcity’s Arena Cinemas during a film music concert performed by the Zürcher Kammerorchester (ZKO) and the Zurich Jazz Orchestra (ZJO) under the musical direction of André Bellmont. An international jury will choose the winning composition on the same evening. Competition details and entry forms are now available at www.filmmusiccompetition.ch
An Instant Hit
The success of the first composition competition during the 8th Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) exceeded all expectations. 145 composers from 27 countries entered a score for the Swiss animation film EVERMORE, thus competing for the Golden Eye for ‘Best International Film Music’ and its 10’000 CHF cash prize. The award went to the young Basel-born percussionist and composer Michael Künstle. It was not just the phenomenal international response that compelled ZFF to make this special competition, which forms a unique selling proposition for Zurich’s ‘celebration of cinema’, but also an integral part of its supporting programme. The overriding motivation for the establishment of a composition competition came rather more from a respect for this widely unrecognised musical genre and its creators. The soundtrack, an aspect of film that requires great artistic skill, is essential for a film’s tonality, atmosphere and emotional impetus.
Film Music Concert Award Ceremony with the ZKO and ZJO at the Arena Cinemas
The five best entries will premiere on September 27 at Sihlcity’s Arena Cinemas this year. An international jury of music experts will choose the winning composition on the same evening. The Zürcher Kammerorchester (ZKO) and Zurich Jazz Orchestra (ZJO) will perform the scores at this festive, large-scale film music concert, the finale of which will be the presentation of the Golden Eye for ‘Best International Film Music 2013’, an award endowed with a 10’000 CHF cash prize. Both orchestras are highly enthusiastic about this particular genre of music. Michael Bühler, Director of the Zurich Kammerorchester, remarked: “As an emotive medium, music is one of the central art forms of a film. Highlighting this at the Zurich Film Festival is artistically valuable and a highly attractive opportunity.” Bettina Uhlmann, Administrative Director of the Zurich Jazz Orchestra, agreed: “Film music played a central role in the film experience before movies learned to talk, and its central function is often undervalued. Film music is an art form in itself and adheres to its own rules, demands and paradigms – it is nice for us as a big band to see that this art form is still alive and receiving the attention it deserves.”
"The International Film Music Competition is financed by the Main Partners of Zurich Film Festival: Credit Suisse, upc cablecom, Swiss Post, Audi, and supported by the City of Zurich."
2014: Back to the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich
Partners of ZFF who collaborate on the implementation of the composition competition are bound by their commitment to film music. This, of course, includes the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, who will be involved in the competition and whose permanent residence will be the venue for the competition every second year from 2014 onwards. Lionel Bringuier, who will succeed David Zinman next year, is all-ears when it comes to the competition. The future principal conductor enthused: “Music offers film a framework. Its meaning is all too often undervalued. We would like to make the public more aware of music and we are delighted to have the opportunity to do so in the form of the Film Music Competition.” The professional Swiss platform for music in media ‘Forum Filmmusik’ is also an important competition partner.