Tenerife-born composer and conductor Diego Navarro will write the soundtrack for Elio Quiroga’s upcoming animation feature’ ‘Winnipeg, El Barco de la Esperanza’ (‘Winnipeg, Seeds of Hope’).

The project will unravel the extraordinary odyssey of 2,400 exiled Spanish refugees who crossed the world in search of a new life in Chile at the end of the Civil War aboard the SS Winnipeg steamer. The famous Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, together with his second wife Delia del Carril, played an instrumental role in making this journey happen. In dark times, when thousands of Spaniards were forced to flee the country to save their lives and were housed in refugee camps, the voyage of Winnipeg became a symbol of hope and future.

‘Winnipeg, El Barco de la Esperanza’ was born as a project on the initiative of producer Toni Marin Vila, who became interested in the original graphic novel written by Laura Martel. He thought this was a story that should be adapted into an animated film, due to its historical and emotional importance.

The feature film, from which Laura Martel herself has adapted her original graphic novel, is a co-production between Chile (El Otro Film), Spain (La Ballesta and 3 Doubles) and France (Marmitafilms). The project will have as executive producers Marianne Mayer-Beckh, who has produced works such as ‘El Príncipe’, ‘Dry Martina’ and ‘Rara’, Toni Marin Vila, who has to his credit artistically and commercially successful works such as ‘Wrinkles’, ‘Caracremada’, ‘Bicicleta, Cullera, Poma’ and ‘Boi’, and Beñat Beitia, an experienced graphic creator and artistic director of animated productions such as ‘Black is Beltza’, ‘Papá, Soy Una Zombie’ (‘Daddy, I’m a Zombie’) and ‘Cher Ami’, among others. Co-producer Darío Sánchez commands the Canarian company 3 Doubles.

DIEGO NAVARRO

Diego Navarro (‘Corporation: Earth’, ‘The Photographer of Mauthausen’) himself is no stranger to scoring for animation, having previously worked on projects such as ‘Puerta del Tiempo’ (2002) and ‘Capture the Flag’ (2015).

Navarro explains, ‘I am really so excited with this new project I will be scoring, and it is fantastic to be involved from an early stage of the production. It will be the third animation feature I score. It is a special genre that I love, because it gives you the chance of having no limitations from a creative point of view. My first feature, ‘Puerta del Tiempo’ (‘Time Gate’), was an animation movie and ‘Capture the Flag’ has been one of the biggest successes of my career. In this case, the approach will be different since the movie will tell true facts related to a hard episode of the history, but with strong intimate and emotional touches. Very much looking forward [to] “Winnipeg, seeds of hope”!’

‘Winnipeg, El Barco de la Esperanza’ has won the Liga de la Animación Iberoamericana (The Ibero-American Animation League) in its special call for 2020. The yearly event is organized by Animation! Ventana Sur, together with the Ibero-American Animation Quirino Awards (Tenerife) and Pixelatl Festival (Mexico), in collaboration with Annecy International Animation Festival.

The project was successful in competing with 38 other entries, of which there were five finalists and one winner. ‘Winnipeg, El Barco de la Esperanza’ will be presented in the special program La Liga in Focus in the virtual edition of Annecy Festival’s MIFA market and will receive an award accreditation that will give the audience access to all the events of the online edition (MIFA Pass).

Pre-production is expected to start at the end of the year, with the premiere scheduled for 2023, the 50th anniversary of the death of Pablo Neruda, and it is expected that various professionals and animation studios will join the Canary Islands, Catalonia, Madrid, Euskadi, Chile and France for the various phases of the film’s creation.

Earlier this month, composer Matthijs Kieboom recorded his new score for ‘De Piraten van Hiernaast’ (‘Pirates Down the Street’), a family feature film based on the popular Dutch children’s book ‘De Piraten van Hiernaast’.

Directed by Pim van Hoeve, the movie tells the story of the ordinary coastal town of Sandsborough which gets turned upside down with the arrival of the Blunderbuss pirate family.

12-year old Michael becomes friends with the new boy next door, 13-year old pirate Billy. However, Michael might lose his new best friend when the Blunderbusses’ archenemy Crooked Cornelius suddenly turns up, determined to lure the pirates back to sea. Together with Elizabeth, a girl from the neighbourhood, Michael and Billy go into battle.

MATTHIJS KIEBOOM, ©KINGA KARPATI & DANIEL ZAREWICZ PRESTIGE PORTRAIT

Pim van Hoeve asked his long-time collaborator, Dutch composer Matthijs Kieboom, to lend his musical craftsmanship and pen the film’s score.

With a few awards and nominations under his belt, including the Young Talent Award (Krakow Film Music Festival, 2013), Filmmusic Award (BUMA Awards, 2013), and Film & Television Music Award (ASCAP, 2012), to name a few, Matthijs Kieboom is one of the most sought-after composers in the Netherlands.

A versatile composer, Kieboom has written music for numerous TV series, feature films, shorts, and documentaries, and has tackled genres ranging from drama, crime and thriller, all the way to fantasy, comedy and romance.

DIEGO NAVARRO, PIM VAN HOEVE, MATTHIJS KIEBOOM AT SMECKY MUSIC STUDIOS. PHOTO BY MAGDALENA MISKA-JACKOWSKA

Matthijs Kieboom, on his collaboration with Pim van Hoeve: ‘This is the 6th time I’m working with Pim and it’s always a pleasure. Pim is a director who is very musical and always knows how to push me a little further. Our discussions are rarely about music, they are almost always about storytelling, we would talk about what the role of the music should be in the storytelling and what emotions we should reinforce. There is a big mutual trust towards each other and that makes working together a very pleasant and productive experience. And because of the trust, I am always trying to push myself harder because I want to surpass his expectations.

Pim and myself talked a little bit upfront about what the music should do, but not too much. It was clear that it had to be a real pirate score, that in certain moments should be big and epic, and in other moments small and comedic (it’s still a kid’s movie). I wrote one of the songs that the pirates are singing in the movie before they started to shoot and this was a blueprint of my melodic/thematic structure. Once I received the first cut of the movie I started composing my themes, so by the time the movie was “locked” I knew exactly what to do and had themes that were already approved by Pim.’

JAMES FITZPATRICK, JAN HOLZNER, THOMAS BRYLA, MATTHIJS KIEBOOM, DIEGO NAVARRO, PIM VAN HOEVE. PHOTO BY MAGDALENA MISKA-JACKOWSKA

Matthijs Kieboom, on his team and regular collaborators: ‘The team is very dear to me and they are not only great professionals, but also dear friends that I have known and worked with for a long time. Apart from being a close personal family friend, I have known Diego [Navarro] since 2013 when I met him at the Krakow Film Music Festival. Since 2013 we have worked on many different projects in many different roles. I have been orchestrating for him and his festival (Fimucité), composing additional music and producing some of his scores. This was the first time Diego conducted my music because I often conduct it myself. But on this massive production I wanted him and his big experience to guide the musicians.

At the same time of meeting Diego, I met Thomas [Bryla], who also turned out to become a dear friend and frequent collaborator. In the last 3 years Thomas worked as an orchestrator on about 9 projects of my projects. I consider him as my extra ears and eyes during my scoring process.’

THOMAS BRYLA AND MATTHIJS KIEBOOM. PHOTO BY MAGDALENA MISKA-JACKOWSKA

Matthijs continued: ‘This was the 7th time I worked with James [Fitzpatrick] and the wonderful musicians of “The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra”. James is a real titan when it comes to film music, thanks to him there were so many legendary recordings. It is always a pleasure to work with him.

I love recording in Prague because of its friendly atmosphere, amazing musicians and the great sounding acoustics of the Smecky Music Studios. What is also an important element of it, it is Jan Holzner’s Grammy-awarded work as a recording engineer. His contribution is very valuable for me and his calm personality makes me feel at ease while so much is happening that can stress you out.

The studio itself is located in the heart of Prague, the beautiful city that has been extremely important for music. Apart from recording film music for over 75 years, Prague was the city where Mozart premiered “Don Giovanni” in 1787! I do think about this a lot.

But the most special member during the recordings was… Milo! Milo was the dog of the principal trumpet player, sitting under his chair for 6 hours, not making any sound. It was only after the session we realised she was there!’

DIEGO NAVARRO CONDUCTING THE CITY OF PRAGUE PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA. PHOTO BY MAGDALENA MISKA-JACKOWSKA

Scoring Info:

Recorded between 8-9 March, 2020, at the Smecky Music Studios, Prague, Czech Republic

Composer: Matthijs Kieboom

Conductor: Diego Navarro

Orchestrations: Thomas Bryla & Matthijs Kieboom

Orchestra: The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra

Contractor: James Fitzpatrick

Recording engineer: Jan Holzner

Mixing: Sven Lens

Score Consultant: Magdalena Miska-Jackowska

Present at the sessions: Pim van Hoeve (director), Ingmar Menning (producer), Diego Navarro, Thomas Bryla, Jan Holzner, James Fitzpatrick, Magdalena Miska-Jackowska, Daan Moerkens (assistant) & Matthijs Kieboom.

 

Film Info:

95 minutes / colour

Genre: Children’s | Family

Original title: De Piraten Van Hiernaast

Director: Pim van Hoeve

Producers: Johan Nijenhuis & Co – Ingmar Menning, Johan Nijenhuis

Screenplay: Sander de Regt

D.O.P.: Guido van Gennep

Completed: April 2020

Language: Dutch

The Tenerife International Film Music Festival (FIMUCITÉ) announced this year’s edition earlier this month. Marking the 14^th edition of this festival, the organizers chose comic books and superheroes as the main theme for this season.

The Spanish illustrator José Luis Trujillo, who previously worked on the seventh (2013) and eighth (2014) editions of the festival, was appropriately chosen to design the creative for this year, paying homage to the ‘ninth art’: the superhero universe. His gorgeous teaser poster is full of clues, keeping FIMUCITÉ’s enthusiastic fans at the edge of their seats, anxiously awaiting for the organizers to peel away the layers of the program within the next weeks.

Looking back at previous editions, film music fans can rest assured that the guest list will feature stellar composers and prominent industry members who will be ready to share their craft and talent with the audience. And if history has taught as anything about this festival, it’s that we can expect exciting surprises.

Masters of witty themes, the organizers dedicated last year’s edition, FIMUCITÉ 13, to the horror genre, the name itself alluding to the ‘Friday the 13^th’ horror movie franchise.

Boasting an impressive guest list, the festival hosted the likes of Harry Manfredini (Friday the 13^th), Christopher Young (Hellraiser, Drag me to Hell), and Randy Edelman (The Last of the Mohicans, MacGyver), among others.

The rich program included thematic concerts, such as ‘My Favourite Fears’, which featured music from beloved horror movies, ‘Champions of the Silver Screen’, featuring sports movie themes, Francis Ford Coppola’s gothic horror film ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula’ live in concert, as well as many interesting masterclasses and Q&As with industry leaders.

AUDITORIO DE TENERIFE, ©WIKIPEDIA

To top it all, the breathtakingly beautiful island of Tenerife seems to be the ideal location for this amazing festival, welcoming guests from all over the world with a warm September weather, kind and friendly people, delicious food, and jaw-dropping sights.

For last year’s full program, detailed review and photos, head over to SoundTrackFest.com, the number 1 website for film, TV and game music concert summaries, news, and updates.

The official dates for FIMUCITÉ 14 are 18 – 27 September 2020, so make sure to secure your tickets in advance.

 

FIMUCITÉ 13 video summaries and photos

FIMUCITÉ 13: 20 September, ‘Cinema Morricone’

 

FIMUCITÉ 13: September 21, ‘Let´s Dance’

 

FIMUCITÉ 13: 22 – 25 September, ‘FIMUCINEMA’

 

FIMUCITÉ 13: 26 September, ‘Randy Edelman: A Close Relationship’

 

FIMUCITÉ 13: 27 September, ‘My Favourite Fears’

 

FIMUCITÉ 13: 28 September, ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula’ in Concert

 

FIMUCITÉ 13: 29 September, ‘Champions of the Silver Screen’

 

Photography courtesy of Soundtrackfest.