Sound on Screen Film Festival

Rock ‘n’ roll with the week-long music-related movie affair in Cape Town

The annual Sound on Screen Film Festival, a week-long cinematic fiesta featuring music-related movies and documentaries, hits the screens at the historic Labia Theatre from Friday, 26 April to Thursday, 2 May 2013.

Now in its fourth year, this audio-visual feast promises to delight cinephiles and audiophiles alike with melodious movies starring rock legends, drumming documentaries about Africa and so much more.

While the festival schedule, for the most part, features each film twice – a line-up allowing movie buffs a chance to catch all the flicks – a special once-off screening of Häxan with the Makabra Ensemble providing the soundtrack in a live musical performance takes place on Saturday, 27 April at 9:15pm.

Line-up for the 2013 Sound on Screen Film Festival

• Sound of Noise – This decidedly original Swedish-French comedic-crime drama follows the antics of a tone-deaf cop as he struggles to locate a group of guerilla percussionists who are terrorising a city with rebellious public performances.
• Mission to Lars – A heart-warming film that follows Tom Spicer – a young man suffering from Fragile X Syndrome, a form of mental retardation – on his journey to realise  his one dream: to meet heavy metal god and one of the founding members of Metallica, Lars Ulrich. Tom’s siblings promise to make it happen, but there’s a labyrinth of twists and turns along the way. 
• 3-Triúr: In Search of Musical Form – Examine the art of making music in this creative documentary that follows the continuing partnership of three of Ireland’s most distinguished musicians – Peadar Ó Riada, Martin Hayes and Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh.
• African Drum: Beyond the Beat – From its use in work songs to its part in football games, the African drum claims a history filled with social functions. This impressionist portrait of the instrument explores its many roles and takes a pointed interest in the nature and conception of rhythm. Audiences will learn about the many elements that go into making a drum, and the film concludes by positing that the percussion instrument and the other instruments used in making African music –all are equally important – form the ideal paradigm for the modern age of music.
• Tension: 25 Years Underground – A documentary that chronicles the rise, popularity and determination of the 80s band Tension. Regardless of the several line-up changes, the metal group stuck to their guns and refused to cave into the demands of big record companies.
• Häxan: Makabra Ensemble Live performance – A 1922 Swedish silent film, Häxan (aka Heksen/The Witch) explores the myths, beliefs and misconceptions around witchcraft. The Makabra Ensemble will perform their exciting, eclectic and mood-laden new soundtrack during the screening.  
• Barón Rojo: Long Live Rock & Roll – Arguably, the biggest Spanish rock group of all time, Barón Rojo gets an offer to reunite the original members after a 20-year hiatus. The film follows the four musicians as they return to the road to face their old demons.
• Einstürzende Neubauten: Liebeslieder – Still the undisputed originators of Industrial music, the German audio scientists Einstürzende Neubauten were formed in the early 80s. This innovative group uses more than just ordinary musical instruments to make sound, going as far as using power drills, jackhammers, scrap metal and vocal contortions to push the boundaries of conventional music. The documentary includes footage that spans the bands career and features snippets of rarely seen early performances and later shows.
• Punk in Africa – Three chords, three countries, one revolution… Punk in Africa tells the tale of the multi-racial punk movement and the role it plays within the recent political and social turmoils in three of Southern Africa’s countries: South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
• The Heart is a Drum Machine – A cinematic exploration into the definition of music. The film features legendary musicians, composers, producers, engineers, scholars, scientists and record label owners, like John Frusciante (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Matt Sorum (Guns 'n Roses, Velvet Revolver), Juliette Lewis, Charlie Clouser (Nine Inch Nails), Wayne Coyne (Flaming Lips), Elijah Wood and many more.

Schedule for the 2013 Sound on Screen Film Festival

About FlameDrop Productions

Brought to you by Flamedrop Productions, the Sound on Screen Festival was established in 2010 in a bid to unite movies and music in a cinematic extravaganza that not only delights and entertains but serves to educate too. Don’t miss out on the other great film festivals taking place throughout the year namely the Halloween Horrorfest, Celludroid Sci-Fi Festival, the X Fest Extreme Film Festival, Daring Doccies Documentary Film Festival and Cinemaniacs special theatrical events.

Tickets to the 2013 Sound on Screen Film Festival

Tickets are available via Quicket.co.za and at the Labia Theatre ticket office and cost R35p/p for each screening; the Makabra Ensemble’s live performance to Häxan costs R50p/p.

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by Meagan Hamman
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