Today, Music Meets Film’s three-day programme takes off with a selection of panels, case studies and events under this year's headline “Musical Perspective of Meaning and Symbolism in Film”. The 10th edition of Music Meets Film welcomes director and producer Mike Newell, documentalist Andrey A. Tarkovsky and director Nina Degraeve amongst many other distinguished international experts as speakers. The events take place in Tallinn and Laulasmaa, but several of them are also possible to follow online.

The traditional opening panel of the event will focus on the current trends in film and scoring industry. Composer Mihkel Zilmer, director Mike Newell and cinematographer Alar Kivilo will share their experiences from their extensive film and scoring careers. The event is followed by a conversation moderated by Michael Pärt, between cinematographer Alar Kivilo and director Scott Hicks, who take us on a universal journey of manoeuvring working life, finding clues and stimuli to pull forward whilst avoiding futile rabbit holes...

The second Music Meets Film takes the audiences to the magnificent Arvo Pärt Centre in Laulasmaa. Director Nina Degraeve will take the audience to the musical universe Andrei Zvyagintsev's "Loveless" to discover the meaning of music and the implication of silence. In a special lecture-recital format, with a concert included, pianist and film musicologist Anyssa Neumann will explore the use and development of concert music in the films spanning over 6 decades of Bergman's work. The day will conclude with a screening of Ingmar Bergman's final film Saraband, which demonstrates how music can be part of the structure, sound, act, presence, content, and even a kind of religious philosophy, combined into a holistic entity. Film scholar and Bergman specialist Jan Holmberg will carry out a special introduction prior to the screening.

PS! If you want to join the event in Laulasmaa, you are welcome to join the bus leaving the Nordic Hotel Forum on Monday morning at 9:45 AM. More information and registration

The third day will take off with a case study “Approach to Music: A Director's View”, by director Mike Newell, who introduces his approach of planning score. The highlight of the third day of Music Meets Film is the discussion with documentalist Andrey Tarkovsky’s - "Il Canto Nascosto" Musical forms as building blocks of a poetic image in Tarkovsky’s cinema. Taking Andrey Tarkovsky’s masterpiece, “The mirror”, as an example the master's son Andrey A. Tarkovsky will analyze its visual structure in a close relationship between image sequences, the soundscape and the use of music in order to establish a link between musical composition and the creation of a cinematic image. The day will continue with a lecture by David Hearn who will introduce how visual interfaces and software can support the composing experience; a Music Tech Talk, where the composers Hendrik Schwarzer and Tuomas Nikkinen will discuss all aspects technical followed by discussion by director Mike Newell and cinematographer Alar Kivilo, where they share their share their trials and tribulations with an audience.

This year, as part of the anniversary celebrations, Music Meets Film launches an award to support and promote talented young film composers. The initiative awards its prize of 2000 EUR as well as a package of Orchestral Tool’s virtual instruments including their acclaimed Tallinn collection. Participants were invited to compose an original soundtrack to a video clip, to demonstrate their composition skills and musical creativity. The winner will be selected by a jury of music and film professionals from this years’ Music Meets Film panelists. The award is handed out at the Award ceremony, taking place in the evening of Tuesday, 23 November in Nordic Hotel Forum followed by a Happy Composers Hour round off the three day programme and including music and cultivated conversation with fellow composers, film makers and guests.

The anniversary edition of the 10th Music Meets Film takes place between 21-23 November 2021 in Tallinn and Laulasmaa. Whilst all panel discussions, the concert and film screening are planned with a live audience, the majority of the sessions are also broadcasted live as well as view on demand. In 2021 Music Meets Film is partnering up with Orchestral Tools - a virtual instruments company located in Germany.