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Ghent film music programme aligns with festival to connect directors and composers
Developed over time first seen 2 months ago
The World Soundtrack Awards’ Film Music Days will run alongside Film Fest Ghent on 8–10 October, bringing filmmakers and composers together while the festival is under way. Organisers say the change is intended to make the programme more accessible and encourage collaboration between creative partners who can find it difficult to communicate about music.
The programme includes conversations between Lukas Dhont, composer Valentin Hadjadj and music supervisor Pierre-Marie Dru, who worked together on Dhont’s film “Coward”, and a session with director Edward Berger and composer Volker Bertelmann. It also features matchmaking and student networking, alongside Third Character, a film music market pairing composers with producer-director teams developing projects. Dhont and Hadjadj first met at a Third Character event in 2013; organisers also hope the earlier schedule will increase industry attendance and support discussions about issues such as AI in film scoring.
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In short
- Ghent’s Film Music Days will coincide with its film festival.
- Sessions aim to improve collaboration between directors and composers.
- Networking and a project market are part of the programme.
How this story developed
- 2 months ago The expanded festival showcases Lukas Dhont and Valentin Hadjadj's Oscar-submission "Coward" alongside Edward Berger and Volker Bertelmann, a two-time WSA Film Composer of the Year, whilst positioning itself as an advocate for human composers amid escalating artificial intelligence concerns in the film music industry.
- 2 months ago The schedule change aims to tackle a persistent industry challenge whereby directors and composers struggle to articulate their artistic vision to one another, as evidenced by successful pairings emerging from Ghent's programme: Valentin Hadjadj and Lukas Dhont, who met at Third Character in 2013, and Jacqueline Lentzou and Colin Stetson, who met on the jury in 2023 before creating a Venice prize-winning film together.
- 2 months ago The World Soundtrack Awards is hosting its Film Music Days alongside Film Fest Ghent (8–10 October) rather than afterwards, bringing together filmmakers and composers through talks, matchmaking sessions and a film music market.
Explained simply
Film music is created for films, but directors and composers may have different ways of discussing what a story needs and how music can support it. Music supervisors help select and coordinate music for productions, while festivals and industry events can give these creative partners a place to meet.
Film Fest Ghent is a film festival in the Belgian city of Ghent. The World Soundtrack Awards is an event focused on music written for film and other screen work, and its Film Music Days bring together people working in those fields. Their programme includes talks, networking and meetings between composers and filmmakers developing projects.
One part, Third Character, pairs composers with producer-director teams while projects are taking shape. Such early collaboration can help establish how music fits a film, while discussions about topics such as artificial intelligence reflect wider changes in how screen music is made.
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Originally published by Variety as “Composers, Filmmakers Sync Up at World Soundtrack Awards’ Film Music Days”.