23. November 2014

An Evening Full of “Contrast”: SoundTrack_Cologne awards EUROPEAN TALENT AWARD, PEER RABEN MUSIC AWARD and SEE THE SOUND music documentary award.

SoundTrack_Cologne 11 · 19. – 23.11.20114 | SEE THE SOUND · 19. – 26.11.2014

The juries of SoundTrack_Cologne have chosen their favorites. Winners are Marianna Liik (WDR FILMSCORE AWARD), Friso Hoekstra (EUROPEAN TALENT AWARD SOUNDDESIGN), Denis Barth (PEER RABEN MUSIC AWARD and “Europe in 8 Bits” by Javier Polo (SEE THE SOUND MUSIC DOCUMENTARY AWARD).

The Lifetime Achievement Award of SoundTrack_Cologne went to musical pioneer Eberhard Schoener. In a very personal laudatio, actor Friedrich von Thun honered the composer, conductor and boundary defier Schoener as a creative man, great musician and above all friend.

The prizes were awarded during the Award-Gala on Saturday, November 22nd at the Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum, Cologne.

WDR FILMSCORE AWARD goes to Mariann Liik, Estonia and the EUROPEAN TALENT AWARD in the category film score to Friso Hoekstra, Netherlands. An honourable mention was given to Serge van Lieshout, Netherlands.

The competition of SoundTrack_Cologne was held for the eleventh time. Task was, to create a new soundscape of music and sound for the short film “Contrast” by Carmen Büchner. Whereas it had been teams of sounddesigner and composer, this year saw more participants who worked both field on their own. The jury was comprised of film composers Jean-Michel Bernard (The Science of Sleep) and John Ottman (X-Men: Days of Future Past), trailer music expert Yoav Goren, Brigitte Schreiner, solo flute at WDR Funkhausorchester and Josef Steinbüchel of TORUS Sound Studio.

The WDR FILMSCORE AWARD goes to Marianna Liik. She is awarded an one-day recording session with the WDR Funkhausorchester Cologne.

To quote the jury:

“Marianna Liik finds a very creative and bold solution for an artistic film. She manages to tell a very surprising version of the story, creating another world by using an abstract musical approach.“

The EUROPEAN TALENT AWARD in the categorie SOUNDDESIGN goes to Friso Hoekstra, Netherlands. He is awarded two days of 5.1 cinema sound mixing at the TORUS film sound post production studio.

To quote the jury:

„From the synthetic emulation of jungle sounds to a fresh, contemporary concept for the battle scene: Friso Hoekstra pulls the viewer into a bizarre and exciting environment, frequently blurring the lines between music and sound.“

An honourable mention goes to Serge van Lieshout, Netherlands:

“Honorable Special Mention goes to Serge van Lieshout: for approaching the soundtrack with the instincts of a storyteller, seamlessly weaving minimalistic composition and inspired sound design.“

The PEER RABEN MUSIC AWARD goes to Denis Barth for her music for “Contrast” by director Carmen Büchner

From a total of 262 submitted films from 37 different countries, “Contrast”, music by Denise Barth, directed by Carmen Büchner emerged as winner. The jury was composed of Owen Pallett (musician), Sabine Bernardi (director), Lesley Jackson (music agent) and Christian Bos (journalist).

To quote the jury:

“CONTRAST, the winning film was an experimental abstract film with no clear story, which is what you would ordinarily expect from a short film. But, all the judges experienced a real sense of story, told entirely through the exquisite score of Denise Barthe. She is very talented and a name for the future.“

The PEER RABEN MUSIC AWARD was given out for the sixth time and is endowed with 1.500 Euro. It honour short films that combine music and image in an innovative and dramaturgically meaningful way.

Music documentary award SEE THE SOUND goes to “Europe in 8 Bits” by Javier Polo

Awarded as best music documentary is “Europe in 8 Bits” by Javier Polo. The film portrays the growing scene of chip music, whose protagonists use the sounds of old gaming consoles like GameBoys, NES, Atari ST oder Amigas to create their music. “Europe in 8 Bits” premiered in Germany at SoundTrack_Cologne.

To quote the jury: 
“The Film we will award tonight introduces us to a clandestine and hence diverse subculture. They use only basic elements to create an inspiring range of sounds. The film presents a fresh and innovative documentary aesthestic: Words, animation and music are in balance. It challenges us to reconsider our way of making music. Above all it inspires us to be creative.”

The jury was composed of Mirjam Baker (film maker from Cologne), Alina Gordienko (curator from Odessa, Ukraine) and Gregor Schwellenbach (composer and musician from Cologne). The SEE THE SOUND music documentary award is endowed with 2.500 Euro.