Film Score Fest

Overview

Join us for the 8th annual Film Score Fest screening at History Theatre, featuring 16 new locally-made short films and 18 musicians performing the scores live on stage.

Film Score Fest is a Minnesota organization that challenges participants to create new short films with music scores for the Film Score Fest Orchestra to perform live at the screening. Filmmakers and composers sign up and are randomly paired to work together on a 5-minute-or-less film, based on the theme of the year. This year’s theme is “Time.”

After hosting sold-out screenings at Landmark Center, The Science Museum of Minnesota, and Mears Park, Film Score Fest is excited to bring this year’s event to their largest auditorium yet, History Theatre. 16 short films of all styles have been selected for the screening, including dramas, comedies, documentaries, animations, and experimental films. In addition to the Film Score Fest Orchestra, featured guest musicians include jazz pianist/composer Ken Takata and multi-instrumentalist/composer Khary Jackson.

Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at filmscorefest.org or at the door. Pay-what-you-want seats are available the day of for side-of-theater seating.

This year, Film Score Fest introduced a scholarship program for BIPOC filmmakers, and five filmmakers were selected to receive $500 each to dedicate to their film productions. The 2023 scholarship recipients are Kish Daniels, Pallav Kumar, Joua Lee Grande, Mai Moua Thou, and Benji Perez Gonzalez. These filmmakers’ films will premiere as part of the June 10 screening, with original scores performed by the orchestra.

Film Score Fest is supported by grant funding from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council and Saint Paul Cultural STAR.