Zurich Film Festival Announces the Finalists of the International Film Music Competition

On October 5, 2024, the International Film Music Competition will take place for the 12th time in the Tonhalle Zurich as part of the Zurich Film Festival's 'Cinema in Concert' gala. The event is organised by the ZFF in collaboration with the Tonhalle-Gesellschaft Zürich AG and the Forum Filmmusik. All participants in the competition were given the task to compose a new and original piece of music for the short film THE FLYING SAILOR.

Three favourites have now been selected from the 192 anonymously submitted compositions. The composers of these favourites will be invited to the ZFF. Their creations will be rehearsed together with the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich and premiered at the 'Cinema in Concert' gala under the musical direction of Frank Strobel and in the presence of the jury. This year's jury, led by Oscar winner Howard Shore, will select the best composition on that same evening. The winner of the IFMC will be presented with the Golden Eye for 'Best International Film Music 2024', worth CHF 10,000.

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Krzysztof Dobosiewicz

Polish-born Krzystzof Dobosiewicz has been nominated for the Golden Eye in the 'Best International Film Music' category for the first time. The Polish composer is known for his ability to switch between different musical works such as classical concerts, film music and jazz effortlessly. Dobosiewicz has already won several prizes for violin, and for his compositions in Poland and Finland. Recently, he was awarded the first prize at the Opera Composition Competition in Poland. He is also a member of the Society of Finnish Composers.

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Ahmed Soroko

The Canadian musician Ahmed Soroko works currently as a composer and plays as the official pianist for the Orchestre à Vents de Musique de Film in Montreal. He holds a postgraduate degree in Film Scoring from UQAM. Soroko has studied at presitigious institutions such as the Conservatoire de Paris and McGill University. His work ranges from film music to electronic and pop music. His compositions have already been presented at various Canadian festivals and shows such as the Festival Quartiers Danses, Bollywood Monster Mashup, and l'Art en Soi. Soroko has been nominated for the Golden Eye 'Best International Film Music' for the first time this year.

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Théo Schmitt

Théo Schmitt is a swiss native who currently lives in Los Angeles. He studied at the Haute École de Musique de Lausanne (HEMU), the University of California, Los Angeles, (UCLA) and the University of Southern California (USC). Schmitt has already been commissioned to work for the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Lausanne, the Swiss Music Association and the World Association for Symphonic Band and Ensemble (WASBE). Furthermore, he was honoured at the 9th Swiss National Conducting Competition in Baden in 2009 and nominated for the Marvin Hamlisch International Music Award. In 2024, he co-founded the Unprecedented Music Assosciation (UMA) and he now serves as its Artistic Director.

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The Cinema in Concert with the International Film Music Competition is organised by the Zurich Film Festival and the Tonhalle-Gesellschaft Zürich AG in collaboration with the Forum Filmmusik and takes place in the Tonhalle Zürich. Further information and tickets for the gala night are available here.