Composition Competition Competence Centre Film | Film Music

The competition is for the composition of music for the final film of the MUK Department for Drama in 2026. All MUK students are eligible to participate. Participation as a composition team is welcome, provided that at least 50% of the team consists of MUK students.

The feature film has a length of approximately 30 minutes. It will be shown as part of the MUK film screening Film ab! at the Austrian Film Museum in Vienna and, if possible, subsequently submitted to international competitions (primarily in German-speaking countries). The winner of the competition will then compose the music for the new graduation film. Filming will take place in May 2026. Collaboration with the directing team in the development of the music is expressly desired.

Task:
The task is to compose atmospheric music for a scene in a screenplay. This scene will appear in the final screenplay or, after filming, in the final film, either as is or in a modified form.
Director and screenwriter Christian Werner would like music with few instruments, preferably drums, guitar sounds and pads. Ideas outside of these preferences are welcome. The music should be minimalistic and atmospheric, interwoven with heartbeat-like rhythms and nature sounds such as wind, insects or creaking wood. Ilker Çatak's film Das Lehrerzimmer can be used as inspiration for minimal but very effective and memorable use of music. The film is currently available free of charge in the ARTE media library. There are no plans for live accompaniment of the final film.

The scene to be set to music can be found here.

Please submit your composition for the screenplay scene as a WAV file. MIDI demos or samples as placeholders for acoustic instruments are also acceptable. Members of the MUK's Kompetenzzentrums Film | Filmmusik will work with the directing team of the final film to select the most suitable submission from among those received.

The Kompetenzzentrum Film | Filmmusik can also provide support with recording and mixing the film music. In general, only instruments that are available at the MUK or can be organised by the composers themselves should be used. Participating composers and musicians will be awarded 2 ECTS credits in the elective subject area.

Submission deadline: 20 March 2026
Applications to: film@muk.ac.at