Sound On Screen -- Music Film Festival

Overview

Sound On Screen is one of the world's most important dedicated music documentary festivals. Founded in 2006 and touring annually to multiple cities worldwide, the festival presents films about musicians, musical genres, and the culture of music making alongside curated concert film programs.

Music documentary has produced some of the most watched and beloved films in the documentary tradition -- from Don't Look Back (1967) to Gimme Shelter (1970) to Dig! (2004) to Amy (2015). The music documentary form allows filmmakers to explore creativity, genius, self-destruction, artistic communities, and cultural history through the particular lens of musical creation.

The festival's touring model allows music documentary to reach the large audiences of music enthusiasts across multiple cities who might not otherwise find dedicated music film programming.

Key Sections

• Music Documentary Competition -- films about musicians and musical culture competing for prizes
• Concert Film Program -- filmed live performances
• Short Film Competition -- music short films and music videos with documentary ambitions
• Emerging Artist Films -- films about new and emerging musicians
• Genre Spotlights -- programs dedicated to specific musical genres

What Filmmakers Should Know

Sound On Screen accepts open submissions. For documentary filmmakers who have made films about musicians or musical culture, this is the most targeted dedicated platform. The touring model means selected films can reach substantial combined audiences across multiple cities.

Major Awards

• Best Music Documentary -- jury prize
• Best Concert Film
• Audience Award

Festival History

Sound On Screen was founded in 2006 and has operated as one of the world's primary platforms for music cinema.

See Also

For music in film, see Audio and Music Tools. For documentary filmmaking, see Documentary Filmmaking Guide.