Guimarães Cinema Som is an international film festival that regards sound as a structural element of a film, taking in consideration its elements beyond musical soundtrack. The festival focuses on films that offer an authentic perspective on sound. At the same time, the festival also seeks to provide the audience with a larger knowledge of the sound element through the history of cinema, from the silent era to contemporary films, considering its different dimensions. There are two main competitions — films and film soundtracks — followed by non-competitive screenings, including silent films. The selection criterion is based on the quality of the soundtrack, considering the use of music (or its absence), sound/image dialectics and the general importance of sound concept within the singular universe of each film. The soundtrack competition is a challenging opportunity for creators to produce an original soundtrack for one of three silent films (selected by the festival), which can be musical/instrumental or non-musical/instrumental — with only voice and bruitage elements.
Guimarães Cinema Som offers a unique experience through a new concept of film festival.
