Film Fest Gent celebrates its 50th anniversary with 25 short films by talented national and international makers. They can be seen in the museum during normal opening hours (continuous screenings).
Twenty-five composers – including Colin Stetson, Tsar B and Howard Shore – were invited to write a short piece of music. In turn, twenty-five filmmakers – including Paul Schrader, Jia Zhangke, Stijn Coninx and Ildikó Enyedi – created short films inspired by the music.
Music can intensify the impact of a film. Yet composers are often brought into the process at a late stage. Their music is always created in the function of the image. Film Fest Gent has turned the tables in this anniversary project. The filmmakers could listen to, and select from, several pieces of music. The composer’s name was not revealed until the film was finished.
To ensure cross-pollination, the festival only matched directors and composers who had never previously worked together. Geographic diversity was also guaranteed since the filmmakers and composers hail from Guatemala, Ethiopia, Georgia, Scotland, the Philippines, Tunisia, Portugal and Japan, amongst other countries.
