You are here
Home > Arts > NEWS: Film Score Fest: 2025 Edition

NEWS: Film Score Fest: 2025 Edition

by Twin Cities Arts Reader -

The Film Score Fest – an annual event featuring new short films with original musical scores, performed live with orchestra – returns on Saturday, April 26, 2025. The film screenings at the History Theatre in Saint Paul, MN will reach their largest form yet, with two main screening sessions with orchestra, and another screening of additional films with pre-recorded soundtracks.

Since launching in 2014, Film Score Fest has grown into a national event attracting a core of local composers and filmmakers, paired with colleagues from across the country. This year’s festival expansion is funded in part by grants from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Ccouncil and Saint Paul Cultural Star.

The Film Score Fest is currently led by co-founder and executive director Charlie McCarron, co-founder and Director of DEI Oanh Vu, and music director Kurt Hattenberger. Its efforts to enrich the variety of films and diversity of participants have included composer and filmmaker meet-up sessions, mentoring, and scholarships to power greater BIPOC participation.

Saturday, April 26
1 pm – Main Screening with the Film Score Fest Orchestra
History Theatre in Saint Paul, Minnesota
Tickets – $20

FILM – FILMMAKER / COMPOSER (GUEST INSTRUMENTS)

Born to Move* – Jeffrey Schwinghammer / Erik Heathcote (hurdy-gurdy)
Projesptive – John Akre / Bongjun Kim
Welcome to Alaska – Rodney Johnson / Nick Rudnik
Side Passage* – Jacob Docksey / Ken Takata, Sophie Caplin (piano, voice)
Let Me Start Again – Anthony Hunke / John Kuntz
See Turtle – Jason P. Schumacher / Josie Just
The Price of Eggs – Maya Washington / Khary Jackson (synthesizer)
Truffle Kerfuffle – Joe Graves, Shun Matsuhashi, Nick Graves / Christine Palmer
The Depths: Såhågu* – Erica Warren / Ritika Ganguly (shruti box, tabla, Andean flute)
Free Zhi Kai* – Len Sanqui / Seth Pioske (synthesizer)
Night Prism* – Chris Lange / Mike Muncher
Who Stole the Cookie From the Cookie Jar* – Kazua Melissa Vang / Asuka Kakitani
Lil Mizz Possum’s Pizza – Will Matthews / Liam Vance
Ventana – Andy Dayton / Will Edwards (synthesizer)
Marion Dada* – Serena Violet Hodges / Arthur Xiong
Mermaid Land* – David Koesters / Mitchell Dietz
*The top 8 films (as chosen by judges) will be shown in both the 1pm and 7pm screenings.

Film Score Fest audience at the Science Museum of Minnesota. Photo courtesy of the Film Score Fest.

Saturday, April 26
3 pm – Films with Pre-Recorded Soundtracks (following the 1 pm orchestra screening)
History Theatre in Saint Paul, Minnesota
Free and open to anyone

Saturday, April 26
7 pm – Main Screening with the Film Score Fest Orchestra
History Theatre in Saint Paul, Minnesota
Tickets – $20

FILM – FILMMAKER / COMPOSER (GUEST INSTRUMENTS)
Born to Move* – Jeffrey Schwinghammer / Erik Heathcote (hurdy-gurdy)
Through the Fractured Lens – Jae-Eun Suh / Edmund Song
Remembering – Cameron Jones / Nik Stalhammar
Side Passage* – Jacob Docksey / Ken Takata, Sophie Caplin (piano, voice)
Pellucid – Signe Lisadotter / Aarush Bothra
Con Cuidado – Benji Salinas / Christian Rasmussen, Noah Bauer
Bye Bye Kash – Randy Xiong / Erik Ostrom
Dana In the Nightmare: Manifest – Alan Tracy / Jeff Goldsmith (synthesizer)
The Depths: Såhågu* – Erica Warren / Ritika Ganguly (shruti box, tabla, Andean flute)
Free Zhi Kai* – Len Sanqui / Seth Pioske (synthesizer)
Night Prism* – Chris Lange / Mike Muncher
Who Stole the Cookie From the Cookie Jar* – Kazua Melissa Vang / Asuka Kakitani
Powdery Prances and Such Wondrous Snow Dances – Mavrick Roos / Tom Johnson
The Fall – Chris Lange / Calley Bliss (voice)
Marion Dada* – Serena Violet Hodges / Arthur Xiong
Mermaid Land* – David Koesters / Mitchell Dietz
3pm B-Sides Screening

Saturday, April 26
3pm (following the 1pm orchestra screening)
History Theatre in Saint Paul, Minnesota
Free and open to anyone

Twin Cities Arts Reader
Latest posts by Twin Cities Arts Reader (see all)
Top