BERLIN
PRESS RELEASE: Nordic Film Composers Award teams up with CPH PIX 2011
Nordic Film Composers Network (NFCN) has teamed up with CPH PIX – Copenhagen’s international Film Festival for Features to put extra focus on film music during the third edition of the film festival in Copenhagen. The Nordic Film Composers Award is among the biggest film music prizes in the world and is accompanied by a cash prize of EUR 10,000. The award will be presented as part of the CPH PIX closing ceremony, April 30. During the show extracts from the nominated music scores will be performed live on stage.‘Film music as such is a special beast,‘ says Halfdan E, head of the Guild, Danish Film & Media Composers (DFMC – in Danish BFM). ‘It is rarely noticed but rather felt by the audience; it is sort of an invisible art form that nevertheless has an enormous impact on the success or failure of a film. What we seek is to strengthen the global position developing the Nordic tone even further.‘ Recently Halfdan E has composed the music score for A Somewhat Gentle Man and he is known for his music for Danish director Per Fly’s trilogy: Manslaughter, The Inheritance and The Bench.
To broaden the acknowledgement of Nordic film music and to strengthen the cooperation between Nordic film composers, Nordic Film Composers Network (NFCN) was created – a fruitful collaboration between Iceland, Finland, Norway, Denmark and Sweden. Each of the countries is eligible to nominate a national composer for the prize every year. Among the national jury members are film Danish director Pernille Fischer Christensen (A Family), Icelandic film composer Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson (Mamma Gogo), Norwegian film composer Geir Bøhren (37½) and Swedish film composer Jean-Paul Wall (Eastern Plays). The winner is chosen by a special Grand Jury comprised of film professionals from around Europe.
At the CPH PIX award show, April 30, in Copenhagen, the annual New Talent Grand PIX will be awarded to the best new feature by a first time filmmaker. And on the same night The Nordic Film Composers Award will be presented accompanied by the cash prize of EUR 10,000. As part of the events of the evening, extracts from the five nominated Nordic film scores will be performed live on stage.
‘We have a joint interest in shedding more light on film music and film composers,‘ says Jacob Neiiendam, Festival Director at CPH PIX. ‘Not least the great work being done by the composers in the region, so naturally we are thrilled and honored to present this prize in connection with our own talent award at PIX 2011.‘
About The Nordic Film Composers Award
This Nordic film music award was initiated on a modest scale in 2008. In 2010 it was awarded as part of the prestigious Dragon Awards presented at the Gothenburg International Film Festival and the award winner Dani Strömbäck was credited for his spiritual, transparent musical score for Klaus Härö’s film Letters to Father Jacob.
About Danish Film & Media Composers
Danish Film & Media Composers, DFMC, is an association for members of The Danish Society for Jazz, Rock and Folk Composers, The Danish Composers’ Union, Danish Popular Authors and the music publishers. The work of the DFMC is funded by KODA, a non-profit collective rights management society that administers Danish and international copyrights for music creators and publishers, when their music is performed in public. One of the main goals of DFMC is to increase the focus on film and other cultural manifestations in the Nordic countries and on film music as an art form.
CPH PIX
CPH PIX is Copenhagen’s annual international film festival and aims to bring people together, create a community centred on the film audience and showcase original, thought-provoking, funny and controversial films from all over the world; films that rarely reach regular cinema distribution in Scandinavia. The third edition of CPH PIX, April 14 to May 1, presents a range of unique films, outstanding international events and a strong competition programme. The entire programme will be announced, March 16, at the CPH PIX Programme Launch. PIX focuses on new talents, new ideas, new trends and artistic courage, both when it comes to the festival film programme and the broad spectrum of collaborations across artistic genres and cultural institutions. To help new talented directors forward in the film industry The New Talent Grand PIX is accompanied by a cash prize of EUR 30,000.
The five national nominating jurys
DENMARK:
Pernille Fischer Christensen, Film Director
Anne Østerud, Film Editor
Peter Schultz, Sound Designer
Tore Leifer, journalist, Master degree in Musicology, Film and Media Studies
Halfdan E, Film Composer
ICELAND:
Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson, Film Composer
María Markan, Violinist, Multi-instrumentalist
Sigríður Pétursdóttir, Film Critic (RUV, National Broadcasting Co.)
NORWAY:
Geir Bøhren, Film Composer
Einar Aarvig, Film Critic
Olav Anton Thommessen, Composer, Professor of composition
SWEDEN:
Jean-Paul Wall, Film Composer (Stim, NFCN, Skap)
Mikael Carlsson, Moviescore Media
Paula af Malmborg Ward, Film Composer (FFACE, FST)
Sofia Lindgren, Film Editor (SFK)
FINLAND:
Heikki Elo,Film Composer
Jussi Pellonpää, Film Journalist
Sanna Salmenkallio, Film Composer
Yari Knuutinen, Film Composer
For further information please contact Danish Film & Media Composers secretary,
Lone Nyhuus, + 45 23 84 24 46,
lony@djbfa.dkwww.filmkomponister.dk – www.nordicfilmcomposers.net – www.cphpix.dk
Danish