Write music for a silent film! – music writing competition for a silent film for the fourth time! The Valley of Arts Festival and the National Film Institute are announcing a music writing competition.
The music writing competition for the silent film evokes the atmosphere of old cinemas, where the film screening is accompanied by live music. The competition, announced for the fourth time in 2023, invites composers to let their imaginations run wild and create accompanying music for old Hungarian silent films. This year, for the first time, the application is also available to foreign artists of the EU.
Creators can apply for the competition with music written for 5-minute parts of two Hungarian silent films. The music must closely follow the plot, underlining and emphasizing it. The professional jury evaluates the music written for the film segment and sends two, i.e. a total of four works, to the finals. The selected composers will have the opportunity to create the music for the entire film and present their work live in conjunction with a film screening at the 32nd Valley of the Arts Festival (Hungary), between July 21st and 30th.
This year, the Valley of the Arts Festival, supported by Veszprém Balaton 2023, the European Capital of Culture, is expanding the range of applicants to include composers from EU member states, so applications are expected from the entire EU. In addition to the opportunity to perform, the first two winners will also receive a cash prize, and the National Film Institute will purchase the rights to the works from the author of the work deemed the best, and the film will be uploaded to the FILMIO interface with the music written by them.
The two selected silent film excerpts are Dódi's career and Mr. Mackó's adventures, two excellent farces over a hundred years old, in which Balaton also plays a role.
The music written for the film excerpts will be judged by a jury of four experts: Márton Kurutz, collection and research manager of the National Film Institute, Attila Pacsay, composer, Péter Sárik, pianist and Dávid Zsoldos, founder of Papageno. Entries are accepted until April 10.
Application details:
Films to choose from:
Dódi karrierje (1914):
Mackó úr kalandjai (1921):
The details of the application is available by clicking here and the application form is here.
