Editor

A highlight of SoundTrack_Cologne 6.0, the Cologne Congress for Music and Sound in Film and Media, was the prize-giving ceremony on Saturday, 21st of November 2009. There were prizes for melodious TV music, for Rising Stars, and one for a legend: Irmin Schmidt was, for his life's work, awarded the SoundTrack_Cologne Lifetime Achievement Award.

In the context of the competition of SoundTrack_Cologne, the European Film Music Prize "New Sound in European Film" was awarded for the sixth time. The European Film Music Prize in the category FILMSCORE went to Felix Rösch, Germany. The European Film Music Prize in the category SOUND DESIGN went to Philip Specht, Germany. Anna Solovieva-Drubuch from Russia received an honourable mention. The prizes were presented by Hollywood composer John Frizzell, Lola prizewinner Niki Reiser and Marcel Barsotti, composer of POPE JOAN. "New Sound in European Film" is sponsored by West German Broadcasting (WDR), RuhrSound Studios, SkodaAuto Germany and Universal Publishing Production Music.

The PEER-RABEN-MUSIC-AWARD for the best music to a short film was awarded for the first time at SoundTrack_Cologne in 2009. The jury was searching for film scores where the relationship between the images and the music and sound is innovative and dramaturgically clear. This was fulfilled by the short NOIRVILLE (dir. Andy Marsh) with the music by Titas Petrikis from Lithuania.

Quote from the jury's statement: "The music is an organical part of this excellently done short film. Patrikis masters the connection between picture and sound in a highly sensitive way. The orchestral score produces a strong atmosphere and draws the audience into the film, being an essential part of the narrative. We'd love to hear this composer's music performed by a real orchestra."

For the second time the German TV Music Prize was awarded in collaboration with the Cologne Conference. This honour was accorded Biber Gullatz and Andreas Schäfer for their film score for DER VERLORENE VATER (The Lost Father), directed by Hermine Huntgeburth. To quote from the jury's statement:

"Andreas Schäfer and Biber Gullatz managed, with the help of an economic musical dramaturgy, to find the right sound for this hope for love, the feeling of security and safety - a hope which is never fulfilled. Beside the enigmatic piano theme, Schäfer and Gullatz manage to create a second acoustical level with the help of toned down electronic music which does not act as a contrast, but rather as a diffuse in-between state. With remarkable efficiency the composers also succeed, with their melody, in making those moments resonate which do not need any music at all."

The European Talent Award in the category FILM SCORE goes to Felix Rösch, Germany

Quote from the jury's statement: "With his re-imagining Felix Roesch manages to acoustically condense a rather complex story with ease. He organically interweaves the music of acoustic instruments with electronic sounds. His composition supports the dynamic of the images in a promising and entertaining manner."

The European Talent Award in the category SOUND DESIGN goes to Philip Specht, Germany

Quote from the jury's statement: "Philip Specht's sound design brought about a change in the way people perceive the movie. It gives the movie additional impulses without pushing itself to the fore. In combination with the music by Oliver Groscheck it creates an independent humorous soundscape."

65 teams and individual artists from all over Europe have over the past few weeks made new sound tracks for the animated short THE FAKTORY by Yann Jouette. 13 nations took part in the European Talent Award in the categories FILM SCORE and SOUND DESIGN: students and young creative talents up to the age of 30 from Germany, Poland, The Netherlands, Great Britain, France, Lithuania, Belgium, Estonia, Spain, Austria, Switzerland, Russia and the USA. The 15 best entries were selected for the final public screening at the Kölnischer Kunstverein on 21st of November. "This year's entries for the European Talent Competition present themselves on a high professional and conceptual level. In a fascinating way they stand for the fact that the upcoming generation of film composers and sound designers knows to impress offside the mainstream", says Matthias Kapohl, director of the European Talent Competition of SoundTrack_Cologne.

Members of the jury were: Niki Reiser, composer, Winfried Fechner, Manager of the West German Radio Orchestra Cologne, Klaus Waßen-Floren, Sound Designer/-editor, Mike Beilfuß, chief editor of Cinema Musica and Matthias Kapohl.Köln.