Miquel Casals, wins the Gil Soundtrack Adward 2024

Miquel Casals wins the Gil Soundtrack Award 2024 with his work “Symphony of a Paradigm”

This composer from Barcelona has won the fifth International Soundtrack Award, promoted by the Viñas Familia Gil group of wineries. This concludes the biennial competition, the largest prize in the world for young composers.

A hundred participants of 29 different nationalities submitted their compositions for the original short film "Off-Wine”. The young composers, aged 18 to 35, aspired to win the €50,000 prize, the largest in the world for a competition with these characteristics.

The winning soundtrack triumphed over the other 5 finalists, who also deserve recognition. They are “(Re)Connection”, by the Canadian Josepl Reda; “The Powers That Be” by Tim Callobre from the US; “Unartificial Roots” by the German Alexander Nikoleit; “Caught in the storm” by Irishman David Dudeney; and “Modo humano” by the Italian Gian Marco Verdone

The brilliant winner, a graduate in Audiovisual Media from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, with a master’s degree in Soundtrack Composition, is a young composer who specialises in music for audiovisuals. He is a versatile pianist with experience in short films, documentaries and video games.

According to the jury his work, “Symphony of a Paradigm”, is the best music created for the selected short film as it manages to capture emotions and achieve a universal identity for the work.

“OFF WINE”
“Off-wine, intelligence can be artificial, but the terroir cannot” is the second short film by Gerard Vidal Cortés (Barcelona 1994), the winner of a previous screenplay executed with the prestigious centre ESCAC (Cinema and Audiovisual School of Catalonia).
The short film depicts an intriguing, dystopian grape harvest that will bring two antagonistic grape-pickers into conflict: a man totally disconnected from all technology, and a woman who has no human relations whatsoever. They are both in a fully robotised environment.
The short was filmed in Jumilla, as well as other locations, and produced by ESCAC ESTUDIO, and involved a significant AI and 3D post-production effort. The technical team, comprised of around thirty people, was made up entirely of students and graduates of the school.

Esther García Rodríguez, production manager for Pedro Almodóvar, presided over the jury

The winner of 3 Goya Awards as Production Manager, Esther García is seen as one of the most remarkable women in the Spanish film industry.
Winner of the 2018 National Cinematography Prize. She stands out for her production model associated to creative independence and the promotion of new values. She has produced more than 90 films and numerous TV series, as well as working with Pedro Almodóvar since 1986.
The jury for this year's Soundtrack Award was completed by other talents and figures such as Lucio Godoy, Roque Baños, Constantino Martínez Orts and Juan Gil.

The fifth Gil Soundtrack Award will culminate with the première of “Off wine” and its OST “Symphony of a Paradigm” on 26 November

The International Soundtrack Award will culminate with the première of the short film and its soundtrack, included on Viñas Familia Gil's social media. For the first time, spectators will be able to enjoy the complete work, and see images from the prize-giving.

Viñas Familia Gil: over a hundred years of commitment to the terroir and culture

Viñas Familia Gil is a group of wineries established over a hundred years ago (1916) with 11 family-run vineyards and wineries in 10 different Spanish Designations of Origin and a presence in more than 50 countries.
Its international prestige is endorsed by the quality of its wines, respect for the rich environment and land they are produced on, and the sustainability of its installations.

Gil Soundtrack Award unites film and music with the terroir, underscoring the value of our commitment and efforts to bring out the best in ourselves, day after day.

Just as Viñas Familia Gil provides a boost with its cultural patronage and each of its family-run vineyards. Assisting young talent and recovering unique grape varieties, creating wines that surprise with their quality and nuances, and great complexity and elegance, a reflection of their commitment and love of each terroir.