Mirjam Skal wins German Documentary Film Music Award with VRACHT
From the film VRACHT (c) Dynamic Frame
Swiss composer Mirjam Skal has been announced as the winner of the German Documentary Film Music Award 2025 for her music for the film VRACHT directed by Max Carlo Kohal. The award is donated by the Versicherungskammer Kulturstiftung and is endowed with 5,000 euros. The festival honours the artistic significance of music in documentary films with this award, which is unique in Germany. The award is supported by the Promotion and Aid Fund of the German Composers Association (DKV). The winning film will be shown at the 40th DOK.fest Munich (from 7 May 2025).
In the documentary film VRACHT, young seaman Rudmer works on a container ship and dreams of one day becoming a captain himself. When newcomer Tycho comes on board, Rudmer is annoyed by his colleague's laziness. He tries to motivate Tycho, but he leaves the ship. His place is taken by Leanne, with whom Rudmer quickly builds up trust. But their proximity is short-lived.
From the film VRACHT (c) Dynamic Frame
The jury's statement:‘What does a freight container feel? The container ship ‘Panerai’ travels up and down the Rhine at a leisurely pace, but nevertheless steadfastly on course. Mooring and casting off manoeuvres, loading logistics and maintenance work characterise the day-to-day work on board. Mirjam Skal‘s highly sensitive, reduced film music takes us deeper into this harsh and unfamiliar world than the images alone could. It defines the timing and atmosphere of the film. Music and sounds can make us feel things that remain hidden to the eye. We hear sounds inspired by steel, wind and weather that bring the freight containers to life. The interplay of visual and acoustic levels is perfectly mastered in VRACHT. We experience an immersive film for eyes and ears, in which the individual artistic voices of the director, camera, editing and music have become a harmonious whole. Now we can better understand the containers.’
The jury was made up of last year's winner Atena Eshtiaghi (composer), Sebastian Höglinger (curator, publicist), Markus Lehmann-Horn (composer), Benedikt Schulte (director, producer) and Ann-Kathrin Mittelstraß (music journalist).
About the award winner: Mirjam Skal (*1996) is a freelance media composer from Zurich. She studied composition for film, theatre and media at the Zurich University of the Arts and has composed numerous soundtracks for short films, games, commercials and documentaries, for radio and television. In her works, she prefers to interweave synthetic textures with orchestral sounds, and is also fascinated by instruments such as the theremin and hurdy-gurdy. In 2021 she was part of the Berlinale Talents, followed by a mentorship from film composer Mychael Danna (LIFE OF PI) and collaboration on DER GESANG DER FLUSSKREBSE. Since then she has worked for national and international TV and film productions, including two Zurich ‘Tatort’ films and Jasmin Gordon's debut film LES COURAGEUX. She has been honoured with the Zollinger Art Prize, the Rolf-Hans Müller Prize for best film music at the Televisionale Baden-Baden and other awards. She also tours America and Europe as a keyboardist with her band ILLUMISHADE.
The German Documentary Film Music Award will be presented at a festive award ceremony with film screening on Sunday, 11 May at 8 pm at the HFF Munich.
The 40th DOK.fest München will be officially opened on 7 May 2025 at Deutsches Theater. Until 18 May, 105 films will be screened in Munich's cinemas and at special venues. Almost all DOK.fest München films can also be seen @home on the digital screen from 12 to 25 May.
