CALL FOR ENTRIES: · EUROPEAN TALENT COMPETITION 2025 · Filmscore and Sound Design

SoundTrack_Cologne 22 (July 8th – 11th, 2025) invites budding composers and sound designers to compose music or create the sound design for a short film in the EUROPEAN TALENT COMPETITION and to apply in the categories WDR FILMSCORE AWARD and SOUND DESIGN.

The aim is to musically interpret and connect the visuals and narration of the short film “BLOOM” (Director: Michael Dämmig, graduation film at the ifs - International Film School Cologne).

Contestants may either compose the score or create the sound design for the short film and may also work together in a team with another composer or sound designer. Sound designers in particular are encouraged to submit sound-only projects!

The twelve finalists will be presented with their work to the audience and jury during the SoundTrack_Cologne competition screening. The award ceremony will take place during the official gala on Friday, July 11th, 2025.

The winner of the WDR FILMSCORE AWARD will have the opportunity to record an original composition of 7 – 9 minutes length with the WDR Funkhausorchester – for many young composers this could be their first opportunity to record with a major orchestra and to fill out their film-scoring calling card.

The winner for the best SOUND DESIGN will receive a 5.1 cinematic mix down for a short film in the prestigious sound mixing studio TORUS POST.

The deadline for submitting the application is April 15th, 2025, 10:00AM CET!

The contest is open to all active students in the fields of composing, music, sound design, sound and editing at a European film or music school (without age limit); or any young European creatives up to and including 30 years of age.

> The online registration form and the terms and conditions for your participation can be found by following the link below.

After the online registration you may download the short film and start your project.

Short film “BLOOM” (Germany, 2023, 3:53 min.)

Directed by: Michael Dämmig 

Life isn‘t equally sunny for all: Karl, a tree less fortunate than the trees around him, finds a chance for social acceptance in a fallen mango. But thanks to a cheeky little monkey, Karl realizes what truly makes him happy.

We want you! Join the team!

Be an active part in SoundTrack_Cologne 22 and join us!

We are looking for volunteers. Read more and apply today!

The early bird gets the best deal! Secure your accreditation now!

Accreditions for SoundTrack_Cologne 22 are available at lower prices until Monday, March 31, 2025!

Early-Bird Regular Pass: 89,00 € instead of 125,00 €
Full accreditation

Early-Bird Students Pass: 40,00 € instead of 60,00 €
Students full accreditation

Early-Bird Union Pass: 75,00 € instead of 85,00 €
Full accreditation

Looking for other SoundTrack_Cologne 22 passes?
Day Pass: 60,00 €
Available from April 1, 2025

Students Day Pass: 35,00 €
Available from April 1, 2025

Students Group Pass: 40,00 € per person
For students groups of at least 5 people including teaching staff

Early-Bird AI MusicCon: 15,00 € instead of 19,00 €
The conference on AI and Music on July 10, 2025. No access to other panels, events or receptions of SoundTrack_Cologne. No access to the opening and award ceremony.

Decide early - book online!
From June 28, 2025, late fees apply for Regular Pass und Students Pass. An additional on-site handling fee is charged for accreditations bought at the accreditations counter.

The Union Pass is online only - not available on-site!

*As our event takes place in the summer, we kindly recommend booking your hotel as early as possible.

Call for Entries: SEE THE SOUND - Best Music Documentary Award

SEE THE SOUND (July 09 – 13, 2025), the film festival of SoundTrack_Cologne invites all film makers, producers and distributors to submit films with a focus on music.

SEE THE SOUND is dedicated to all forms of motion pictures, that visualise music and sound. Music documentaries and feature films with focus on music like biopics about musicians or bands, documentaries about concerts, portraits of composers, portraits of bands or music videos may be submitted.

Since its inception, SoundTrack_Cologne grew as a festival and conference program into Europe’s leading platform for music and sound in film, games, TV and multimedia in general. With SEE THE SOUND, SoundTrack_Cologne offers a platform to outstanding films about music to be presented on the big screen.

In addition, SEE THE SOUND honors the Best Music Documentary!

The prize for the Best Music Documentary will be awarded at SEE THE SOUND for the twelfth time. The prize winner will receive 2,500 euros.

Submission criteria

• Films and music videos whose production was completed in 2024 or 2025 or premiered after January 1, 2024, are eligible for submission.
• Short films and music videos must last a maximum of 20 minutes.
• Screening prints should be in DCP format (preferred), BluRay, DVD, or a high-quality digital file (e.g., ProRes).
• Online screeners as preview copies are preferred. DVD submissions are also accepted.

Submission Deadlines:

Early bird submissions: March 17th, 2025, 10:00 CEST.

Late submissions: April 7th, 2025, 10:00 CEST.

Call for Entries: PEER RABEN MUSIC AWARD 2025 - Best Music in a Short Film

We are happy to announce the open submissions for the PEER RABEN MUSIC AWARD for the best music in a short film.

SoundTrack_Cologne 22, which will take place from July 8th to 11th, 2025, invites film composers* and filmmakers* to submit their short films with their original compositions in the call for the PEER RABEN MUSIC AWARD.

The award, now in its 17th edition, will award a prize of 1,500 euros to the film scores that stand out for their innovation and for coherently reinforcing narration from music and sound.

The award, first presented in 2009, commemorates the great German film composer Peer Raben.

The submission deadline for the competition is April 15th, 2025 10:00 am CEST.

Submission criteria:

• Short films with a maximum length of 15 minutes (incl. end credits) in all industry standard formats.
• There are no restrictions regarding country of production, genre, or content.
• Films must have predominantly original music.
• Short films whose production was completed after January 1st, 2024 or that premiered after January 1st, 2024.
• The nominees should be present at the screening of the films and will be presented to the audience and the jury during the competition screening. The award ceremony will take place during the official Gala on Friday, July 11th, 2025.

Terms, conditions and the application form for the competition can be found here:

AWARD WINNERS at SoundTrack_Cologne 21 · 2024

Gustavo Santaolalla · Lifetime Achievement Award

Florian Simon Krefting · WDR Filmscore Award

Jenny Winter · European Talent Award Sound Design

Agathe Lavarel and Nicolas Vön Moreau · Honorable Mention - European Talent Award

 Mári Mákó and Rozi Mákó · Peer Raben Music Award

Hannes Bieber · Honorable Mention - Peer Raben Music Award

Elis & Tom. It Had to Be You · See The Sound Music Documentary Award

ZEF: Die Story of Die Antwoord · Honorable Mention - See the Sound Music Documentary Award

Full house at the Cologne COMEDIA Theater on Friday, July 5th: The Award Ceremony of the 21st edition of SoundTrack_Cologne bringing to a close a successful week of learning and exchange in the field of music for film, TV, and video games. With 46 musicians on stage, the Neues Rheinisches Kammerorchester Köln conducted by Yati Durant performed works by composers Gustavo Santaolalla and Juan Luqui, Anthony Willis, Austin Wintory, Adi Frutiger, Cristóbal Tapia de Veer and Kim Neundorf, Jessica de Rooij, Stephen Barton and Gordy Haab, some of the special guests at this year’s congress.

Eight awards were presented at the ceremony:


Gustavo Santaolalla - Lifetime Achievement Award

In its 21st edition, SoundTrack_Cologne honored the composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Gustavo Santaolalla with the Lifetime Achievement Award. The two-time Academy Award winner received the statuette from fellow Oscar winner Volker Bertelmann in recognition of his remarkable career.

As well as celebrating some of the milestones in Santaolalla's life, such as his significant contributions to Latin American music and producing albums for numerous artists, along with his work with the band Bajofondo and his overall musical production, Bertelmann also highlighted the strong mark that Santaolalla has established in the film industry.

Accompanied by the Neues Rheinisches Kammerochester Köln and his colleague Juan Luqui, Santaolalla performed three of his compositions, including one from the series "Dear Child" ("Liebes Kind") and two from the video game and TV series "The Last of Us".


Florian Simon Krefting · WDR Filmscore Award

The jury, consisting of music supervisor and publisher Marielène Froidevaux, composer and producer Juan Luqui, sound engineer and music producer Julius Gass, and sound designer Alexander Weuffen, awarded Florian Simon Krefting for the music he composed for the short film "Balcony Cacophony", directed by Quentin Haberham. 

The jury noted that Krefting "captivates the listener from the very first note with a beautiful, harmonically ambiguous theme that weaves seamlessly through the soundtrack. Enhanced by a rich, genre-diverse, and multifaceted arrangement, the score enchants the audience from the beginning."

The jury concluded that his score for "the film builds intensity through its dramatic arc, ultimately finding a conciliatory element in the pure major version of the recurring theme."

Krefting will have the opportunity to record an original composition with the WDR Funkhausorchester.


Jenny Winter · European Talent Award Sound Design

Among the 18 nominees of the European Talent Competition, Jenny Winter was awarded Best Sound Design thanks to the fact that she "managed to point out details very carefully and featured the storytelling by adding surprising sounds, bravely even off-screen. Which made us all laugh in this case", said the jury in its statement.

Winter was recognized because her work demonstrated how important sound design is as "a major part of the full experience for the audience."

She will have the opportunity to create a 5.1 cinematic mix down in the prestigious sound mixing studio Chaussee SoundVision GmbH.


Agathe Lavarel and Nicolas Vön Moreau · Honorable Mention - European Talent Award Filmscore and Sound Design

The jury of the European Talent Competition also decided to give an honorable mention to the team consisting of composer Agathe Lavarel and sound designer Nicolas Vön Moreau, highlighting that their work "demonstrated excellence in both music and sound design", and as a team evidenced that 'trusting each other it is the key to success“. 

The jury concluded, that the team had proved that "filmmaking is a collaborative art form that involves managing multiple disciplines, egos, visions, cultures, and approaches.

Film-Media Music and AI Artist Monitor · Survey Results

So far, 2024 has been characterized as a year where innovations in AI have truly taken off, with new tools being launched on a weekly basis. These innovations are enabling previously unthinkable possibilities and making it extremely difficult to keep up. Without a doubt, advancements in automation and artificial creativity are rapidly reshaping several sectors, including the music industry.

However, such drastic changes and fast-moving scenarios also bring great challenges that deeply concern professionals in the field. Therefore, more than ever before, it is crucial to understand the magnitude and direction of these attitudes. Thus, the 2024 edition of the Live AM: Artist Monitor addressed four important issues:

• Perceptions towards AI
• Copyrights and legislation
• Co-Creation with AI tools
• Employability

The 2024 edition of the Live AM: Artist Monitor revealed important findings regarding the perceptions of music professionals towards artificial intelligence (AI).

Fill out the form to download the report:

Reality Check / Case Studies Wednesday, 03. July 2024 · SoundTrack_Cologne 21

SoundTrack_Cologne will present three high profile case studies and a round table with composers and crew of successful films on Wednesday, 3rd of July.  

Two-time Oscar winner Gustavo Santaolalla, who will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at this year's congress, will present his German Netflix-series LIEBES KIND (DEAR CHILD), sharing the stage with Isabel Kleefeld (director / creative producer and showrunner), Renata Salazar Ivancan (editor), Tom Spieß (producer), Christoph Becker (music supervisor) and Juan Luqui (co-composer).

The case studies module will also include a talk with Diego Ramos and Timm Kröger, composer and director of the hit thriller THE UNIVERSAL THEORY.

Lola winner Lorenz Dangel will share his experience creating the music for STERBEN, the black comedy by Matthias Glasner, chosen as the winning film of the German Film Award 2024.

Renowned film composers and EFA-Members Nicolas Rabaeus, Lorenz Dangel, and Judit Varga have each won the national film award for best music of their home countries, Switzerland, Germany, and Austria. They are set to participate in an exclusive round table discussion focusing on the significance and impact of film prizes for composers. Gary Yershon, an Oscar-nominated composer himself, will be the interviewer. The talk is hosted by the European Film Academy, SWISS FILMS and is part of a yearlong program leading up to the European Film Awards in Lucerne, Switzerland. 

AI MusicCon bei SoundTrack_Cologne 21 Musikleben und Künstliche Intelligenz · Freitag, 05. Juli 2024

Die Herausforderungen, aber auch die Chancen, die Künstliche Intelligenz für den Menschen bietet, sind DAS Thema des Jahres. SoundTrack_Cologne bietet daher in Kooperation mit dem Landesmusikrat NRW mit der AI MusicCon erstmals eine eigene Sektion mit 16 Einzelveranstaltungen zu KI und Musik.

Die AI MusicCon kann im Rahmen der Festivalakkreditierung von SoundTrack_Cologne oder mit einem 10 Euro Ticket getrennt besucht werden.

Ziel der AI MusicCon ist es, Einstiegshürden zu beseitigen, sinnvolle Anwendungsbereiche, kommende Entwicklungen, rechtliche Rahmenbedingungen aufzuzeigen - aber auch ein Stück weit mit Mythen aufzuräumen und die Diskussion zu versachlichen.

Hands-on-Workshops zu praktischen Aspekten von KI-Tools im Musikleben, sowohl für diejenigen, die noch nie mit KI gearbeitet haben, als auch für diejenigen, die schon mehr Erfahrung damit haben, sowie Diskussionen und Vorträge zu ethischen und rechtlichen Aspekten dieser Technologien ergänzen das Programm.

Zu den Vortragsthemen gehören u.a.: Rechtssichere Nutzung von KI (Dr. Kerstin Bäcker, Lausen Rechtsanwälte). Kann KI Avantgarde? (Prof. Ludger Brümmer, ZKM Karlsruhe). KI, Kreativität und Ethik (Prof. Dr. Jörg Kopecz, FOM Bonn). KI und pädagogische Angebote an Musikschulen (Thomas Hanz).

Download Programm

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AI MusicCon
COMEDIA Theater

DIE EINS

10.30 - 11.30
Begrüßung
Prof. Dr. Christine Siegert, Präsidentin LMR NRW · Michael P. Aust, SoundTrack_Cologne
Lecture Performance
Designing the future of AI and Music
Dave Murray-Rust, TU Delft

12.00 - 13.00
KI und Schutz von Musikrechten
Dr. Anselm Kreuzer, Präsident Composers Club · Matthias Hornschuh, Aufsichtsrat GEMA, Vorstandsvorsitzender mediamusic
Rechtssichere Nutzung von KI in der Musik
Dr. Kerstin Bäcker, Lausen Rechtsanwälte

14.30 - 15.00
KI, Kreativität und Ethik
Vortrag und Dialog
Prof. Dr. Jörg Kopecz, FOM Bonn im Dialog mit Hayat Chaoui, Landesmusikrat NRW

15:15 - 15:45
MusicLang:
AI composition copilot for the next generation of music apps (engl.)
Mehdi Zatar, CEO MusicLang · Florian Gardin, CTO MusicLang

16.00 - 16.30
Aktuelle KI Tools
André Schnoor, Geschäftsführer Cognitone

16.45 - 17.15
Fazit: Die wichtigsten Erkenntnisse aus diesem Tag
Prof. Michael Edwards · Alissa Krusch · Prof. Dr. Francisco Tigre Moura · André Schnoor · Mod.: Janina Klabes


DIE ZWEI

12.00 -13.00
Workshop:
Mein erster Song mit KI
Yevgeni Birkhoff

14.30 - 15.00
Kann KI Avantgarde?
Zur hörbaren Eigenschaft von (KI) Werkzeugen beim musikalischen Gestalten
Prof. Ludger Brümmer, Leiter Hertz-Labor, ZKM Karlsruhe

15.15 - 15.45
Workshop:
Mischung, Technische Überarbeitung von Aufnahmen, Zerlegung in Einzelstimmen (Stem Separation)
Yevgeni Birkhoff

16.00 - 16.30
Case Study:
Stimmen und Gesangsdemos mit KI generieren
Yevgeni Birkhoff


DIE DREI

14.30 - 15.00
Workshop:
Einsatz von KI bei der Veranstaltungsplanung
Felix Herrmann, Chorverband NRW

15.15 - 15.45
Vortrag:
KI und pädagogische Angebote an Musikschulen
Thomas Hanz, KI und pädagogisch-kreative Angebote an Musikschulen

16.00 - 16.30
Workshop:
Adressing Target Groups and Marketing with AI (engl.)
Marju Sokman (Estland)

Note: Diese Veranstaltung wird in deutscher Sprache abgehalten, mit Ausnahme von zwei gekennzeichneten Talks in englischer Sprache.

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Get Your Tracks Checked by Experts Reality Check Workshops and Panels at STC 21

How good could my music be for a film or a TV underscore? Submit your tracks and get direct feedback from music consultants.

In the two Track Check sessions at SoundTrack_Cologne on Wednesday, July 3, participants will have the chance to present their music to a group of experts and learn how well their tracks will work as film music or TV underscore.

In addition to these two interactive panels, the Reality Check module will offer, among others, the Call My Agent panel with agents Guillaume Clement (Time Art, Paris), Alexander Hemmpel (MX IN Angetur für Filmmusik, Berlin), and Gary Downing (MRKR, London), who will discuss about their role, costs, risks, and advantages or downsides for producers and artists when working with them.

On Thursday, July 4, Dennis Grimm, music executive of Amazon MGM Studios for Germany and The Netherlands, will talk with Milena Fessmann, music supervisor from Cinesong, about the handling of music in Amazon productions, who is involved in this operation, the level of company involvement in the creative processes, the relationship between composers, producers, and music supervisors, the synergies with other Amazon companies, etc.

Two panels on music politics will focus on Artificial Intelligence and the impact of the EU AI Act. Marc du Moulin (Secretary General ECSA), Katharina Uppenbrink (CEO Initiative Urheberrecht) and Frank Jablonski (MdL NRW, spokesperson for cultural policy, BÜNDNIS 90/DIE GRÜNEN) shed light on the political stance at EU, federal and NRW level.

The full Reality Check programme can be found below.

Submit your track before Friday, June 28, 2024 at 18:00 (6:00pm CEST)!

If you want to participate with a track in the Track Check, please click the button and fill out the form:

SoundTrack_Cologne 21 announces nominees for the PEER RABEN MUSIC AWARD

Nine composers are nominated for the PEER RABEN MUSIC AWARD. The winner will be announced at the festival awards ceremony on 5^th July at the Comedia Theater.

The PEER RABEN MUSIC AWARD honors the Best Original Music in a Short Film. The winner receives a prize money of 1,500 euros. First presented in 2009, the award commemorates the great German film composer Peer Raben.

Nominated are seven film scores from award-winning festival highlights of the international short film scene with an innovative and dramaturgically coherent use of music and sound in relation to the narrative.

The nominees:

• Mári Mákó & Rozi Mákó ("27" directed by Flóra Anna Buda, France/Hungary)
• Ricardo Gallo ("A menos que bailemos" / "Unless we Dance" directed by Fernanda Pineda Palencia and Hanz Rippe, Colombia)
• Sarah Playford ("Do You Have Kids?" directed by Tom Gentle, United Kingdom)
• Hannes Bieber ("Dodo" directed by Yi Luo, Germany)
• Yan Volcy ("GIGI" directed by Cynthia Calvi, France)
• Georg Paco Ludwig Fleischfresser ("Jesus lebt" / "Jesus is alive" directed by Piet Grünberg and Dominic Wittrin, Germany)
• Fabian Zeidler & Steven E. Müller ("Spatzenhirn" / "Sparrow's Brains" directed by Arun Leander Boudodimos)

The competition screening will take place on Wednesday, July 3^rd at 18:30 at Odeon cinema. To buy the tickets for the screening, click here.

The Palme d'Or winner "27" tells us the story about Alice, who lives still with her parents at the age of 27, without a private life or relationship - it takes a cycling accident to make her realise it's time to move out. In "Unless we dance" Jonathan and hundreds of young people come together through dance to face the brutal fate of violence of Quibdó, a city with the highest homicide rates in Colombia – the film is a tribute to their act of resilience and to all the lives that have been lost along the way. From the tormented little mermaid to the fulfilled woman she is today, "Gigi" tells us about her gender transition with humor and sensitivity. "Sparrows" pilfer the crumbs left behind by park visitors using advanced surveillance technology. "Do you have kids?" is a friendly question tossed casually into conversation, but for Lee it has a complex and difficult answer. In "Jesus is alive" Mara’s estranged mother believes she is Jesus. "Dodo" is a 10 year old little girl living with her father, who is a big blue bird. When he flies out of the window and doesn't come back, Dodo stops growing up.

The jury members (in alphabetical order):

Eðvarð Egilsson, composer, HARPA Award winner 2024
Natalie Hausmann, composer
Anthony Willis, composer

The nominees and their films will be presented to audience and jury under the moderation by André Feldhaus (composer).

Here you can find more information about our nominees and the jury members:

Join Our Exclusive Matchmaking Events!

Meet the other SoundTrack_Cologne participants and exclusive selected leading experts and make new business contacts at our International Matchmaking events on 4^th July!

After the launch of the International Matchmaking a couple of years ago our one-to-one sessions proved itself as a great success. That's why we are offering these networking opportunities again this year!

SoundTrack_Cologne has selected experienced professionals from the music, media and film business, who are interested in meeting you to exchange knowledge or to give advice or just to expand your network!

Meet these amazing international music supervisors, film directors, film producers, editors and agents!

You are given the opportunity to meet many new potential business partners in short one-on-one meetings within just 150 minutes!

Sign up now for our matchmaking sessions on Thursday, July 4th, 2024!

Please note, that we might not fulfil your meeting request, if there are more requests than available meeting slots. Therefore, we recommend to send back the form as soon as possible and to introduce yourself with a short biography and goal for each requested meeting by filling in the meeting form.

Based on your meeting requests and the delegates’ priorities, we will schedule the individual meetings in order to provide you with a personal meeting schedule, which you will receive shortly before the event by email.

It takes only a few minutes to request your meetings! Don’t waste time and start right away!

Deadline to register is 24th of June, 10:00am CEST.