About MOFFOM

Founded in 2004 as a non-profit members association, Music on Film o.s., MOFFOM has grown over the years to include various activities dedicated to the convergence of music and film. First and foremost, MOFFOM organizes an annual music film festival in Prague.

What is a music film? What is “music on film”?
Many people think of “music on film” in terms of soundtracks and film scores. While music created for dramatic feature films is an important element of cinema, MOFFOM focuses above all on the genre of nonfiction filmmaking known as music documentary, covering subjects relating to music as a social phenomenon. Another type of documentary music film is the performance film, also known as a concert film. As we use the term in a general sense, “music film” can also include the biopic, a fiction film based on the life of a musical artist. Musicals are a genre of music films originating in musical theater that mostly combine singing and choreographed dance.

A more recent type of music film is the music video. The term usually marks a single clip for a single song. Music shorts are films of less than 30 minutes in length that might have fictional or other narrative elements but are recognizably focused on the musical content.

Finally there is the cine-concert - a live performance accompanying a film. These typically take place in classic movie houses but can also be staged in other venues, such as clubs, art spaces and outdoor happenings.

These definitions are not meant to be scholarly and are presented here only as a brief explanation of the orientation of MOFFOM and “music on film.”

Why a music film festival?
Music film festivals have existed for many years but historically emphasized film scoring. The music industry operates under very different conditions than the film industry, just as music festivals and film festivals do. MOFFOM was founded to build synergy between these two worlds. MOFFOM is primarily a film festival and secondarily a music festival, with a rich assortment of live music and film events that take advantage of the festival’s unique main venue, the historic Lucerna Palace in Prague. MOFFOM has become a major event on the city’s cultural calendar and has expanded to other cities across the Czech Republic. In the global sense, MOFFOM has pioneered the concept of the music film festival as part of a larger network with comparable festivals in more than 10 countries. In October 2007 the Association of Music Film Festivals was established in Prague.

What makes MOFFOM unique among music film festivals?
MOFFOM is more than just “rock docs”; its program showcases a multitude of music genres. Each year the festival presents honors to individuals for lifetime achievement in music film, accompanied by mini-retrospectives and special events. MOFFOM also presents cine-concerts, live events, exhibitions, panel discussions and conferences as well as some extraordinary parties. MOFFOM, like many music film festivals, works closely with local as well as international film and music distribution companies. We welcome industry participation at the festival and the propagation of the concept of music film festivals as a meeting point for professionals.

How can I submit a film?
MOFFOM has a Call for Entries from March 15 to June 15. There is no submission fee. The majority of films in the festival program are solicited in advance but entries are welcome.

Where can I learn more about music films?
For links to past MOFFOM programs since 2004, check our archive. In 2008 MOFFOM (with some help from our friends in the music film community) will launch the online portal www.musicfilmweb.com, a destination for all who are passionate about this “niche,” and through which we hope to further our mission to explore “all kinds of films about all kinds of music.”

MOFFOM Highlights

2007
Once
Reinventing the musical genre and beating the odds to become a worldwide hit, Once will go down as one of the most important music films in history. MOFFOM's screening was a homecoming for the film and its stars, Glen Hansard of The Frames and singer/pianist Marketa Irglova, highlighted by their concert at Kino Lucerna October 20.
Fred Frith
For the first time MOFFOM honored a musician with its lifetime achievement award: sonic adventurer Fred Frith. Step Across the Border depicts music as a form of travel, with Frith hosting the journey. Rivers and Tides is a breathtaking exploration of the work of artist Andy Goldsworthy anchored by Frith's original score. The tribute climaxed with a live concert featuring Frith and friends at Archa in cooperation with the Stimul Festival.
Russia goes MOFFOM
The cine-concert of the classic 1927 Soviet film comedy My Grandmother with the Beth Custer Ensemble was a delight, as were fascinating documentaries on Russian musical giants Shostakovich, Rostropovich and Theremin. The founder of Berlin’s legendary Russendisko, DJ Yuriy Gurzhy, provided some outsized parties along the way. The Russian/Ukrainian diaspora was well represented by the Eugene Hutz documentary The Pied Piper of Hutzovina.
Don Letts, Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten.
MOFFOM godfather Don Letts returned to raise the festival flag with his George Clinton doc Tales of Dr. Funkenstein and the NYC epic Clash on Broadway. Julien Temple’s Joe Strummer doc packed the house at Kino Lucerna on closing night.
Nomadak TX wins audience award
A Basque road movie with stops in India, Morocco, Lapland and Mongolia showed the universal language that is music. The MOFFOM audience added to the film's already considerable awards pedigree, bestowing on the filmmakers the top festival prize of 3,000 euros.
Kurt Cobain, Chet Baker, Dean Reed …
… were just a few of the complex personalities captured in documentary portraits at MOFFOM 07. For the first time in festival history, heavy metal was represented, with a pair of films. Docs on pioneering record labels Stax and West End, the business of Rio's Carnival and the state of punk after 30 years were also hits. Underground rock heroes The Monks resurfaced after 40 years. Almost 60 films were shown in total, and many screenings were sold out days in advance.
Opening night tribute to Hana Hegerova
Actor and musician Jan Budar hosted a comic evening that included a tribute to the famed singer and actress Hana Hegerova
Indie-film legend Ben Barenholtz presents Music Inn
Association of Music Film Festivals established

2006
Blues Professor William Ferris honored
One of the most widely admired folklorists in the world, Dr. William Ferris, not only brought his amazing music films on the American South but also performed, lectured and presented a remarkable photo exhibition.
Julien Temple and Simon Broughton
These two prolific filmmakers, respectively a pioneer on the London punk scene and a leading authority on world music, received mini-retrospectives and tribute honors.
Special Sections, Country Focus
2006 was the year of many thematic programs. Audiences discovered locations as diverse as New Orleans, South Africa and Central Asia through the medium of music documentaries, while other programs showcased Jewish music and Mozart.
Socalled, Golem
Hip-hop/klezmer/etc. fusionist Socalled, joined by Gipsy.cz’s Radovan Banga and Vojta Lavicka, presented a mind blowing cine-concert updating the silent classic Der Golem.
Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars wins audience award
Opening night tribute to Ladislav Rychmann
Doc hits on The Pixies, Beastie Boys, Albert Ayler, Maria Callas, Sex Pistols
Panel discussion on “The Buena Vista Effect”

2005
Albert Maysles and Larry Weinstein honored
Special Country Focus on Brazil: Black Orpheus, Favela Rising, Miracle of Candeal
Doc hits: Beethoven’s Hair, Mayor of the Sunset Strip, 1 Giant Leap, Nick Drake: A Skin Too Few, Fearless Freaks, Punk Attitude, plus Link TV World Music Videos
Opening night tribute to Jan Rohac with Ondrej Havelka and the Melody Makers
Worldwide Underground experimental shorts at Ponrepo

2004
Allan Miller and Ron Mann honored
Milos Forman’s Audition, The Harder They Come, Yellow Submarine, From Mao to Mozart
The Residents Commercial Album DVD, Mixtape Inc. get world premieres at MOFFOM
Nosferatu cine-concert with DG 307
Opening night with Bob Klepl and Twist