Trambólika
Everybody Digs Bill Evans
Odeon 3 · 19.07.2026 18:30
Daytime Revolution
Filmhaus Köln · 16.07.2026 19:00
A Beautiful Place - Lebanon Hanover
A journey alongside darkwave icons Lebanon Hanover, accompanying William Maybelline and Larissa Iceglass on their 2024 European tour—from Bristol and London to Paris and Berlin. The film captures the special bond between the duo and their loyal fans, weaving together live performances and behind-the-scenes glimpses to create a portrait of a band that has achieved cult status among an entire generation.
DetailAward Ceremony + Concert
The SoundTrack_Cologne awards ceremony is once again open to the public this year. Five prizes will be awarded during the event, including the Career Achievement Award to to composer Christopher Young, one of the most prolific and versatile voices in contemporary film music.
DetailBook Presentation: This Ain't Rock 'n' Roll: Pop Music, the Swastika and the Third Reich
For over seven decades, generations of artists have forged unsettling connections with the aesthetics, mass hysteria, and ideology of Nazism. Whether born of shock, recklessness, or outright provocation, rock 'n' roll has harboured these associations more than any other art form. This Ain't Rock 'n' Roll, the new book from bestselling author, journalist, and former musician Daniel Rachel, explores why and how some of rock's most prominent figures flirted with Nazi imagery. Daniel Rachel will present the book in conversation with Pauline Black — singer of The Selecter, actress, and author.
DetailBowie: The Final Act
In the 1990s, David Bowie was written off—slammed by critics and playing to empty concert halls. Ten years after his death, this documentary traces his final creative journey: from conquering the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury to the production of *Blackstar*, the album released just days before he died. Told by those who worked with him, the film reveals the strategic brilliance behind one of the most remarkable comebacks in music history.
DetailBoy George & Culture Club
When "Karma Chameleon" hit number one in 1983, Boy George became the face of the Second British Invasion in the US, and his poster hung in teenagers' rooms around the world. Director Alison Ellwood interviews all four members and combines their accounts with TV archival footage from the 1980s, charting the rise, drama, and enduring bond of one of the decade's most defining bands.
DetailBroken English
Over six decades and thirty-five albums, Marianne Faithfull never stopped reinventing herself. Made with her full involvement shortly before her death, the film traces a life shaped by fame, creativity, and public scrutiny—drawing on a rich mix of music, memories, and famous faces. It unfolds within the Ministry of Not Forgetting, an imagined institution where memory and mythology collide.
DetailCerrone Supernature
Nearly fifty years in the music industry, over thirty million albums sold, and a new generation of rappers and electronic producers sampling his tracks, Cerrone revolutionised disco music and left his mark on the French Touch movement. This biopic traces the wild decades-long journey of a man whose mantra, "Right Time, Right Place," still rings true today.
DetailCopeland
During a concert tour in Italy, Stewart Copeland looks back on a career that extends far beyond The Police—from his early years in Beirut and London to the explosive rise of the band alongside Sting and Andy Summers, and on to film scores, operas, orchestral compositions, and musical projects across continents and disciplines.
DetailDaytime Revolution
In 1972, John Lennon and Yoko Ono took over America's most-watched daytime TV show, reaching 40 million viewers a week. For five daring episodes, they turned the Mike Douglas Show into a platform for revolution—featuring Jerry Rubin, Bobby Seale, Ralph Nader, and George Carlin, alongside Lennon's duet with Chuck Berry and a live performance of Imagine.
DetailDiane Warren: Relentless
Four decades, 15 Oscar nominations, and an Honorary Oscar, Diane Warren is one of the most prolific songwriters of all time, behind iconic songs such as "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing" (Armagedon), "Because You Loved Me" (Up Close and Personal), and "How Do I Live" (Con Air) featured in over 150 films. Director Bess Kargman traces her journey, with first-hand commentary from Cher, Lady Gaga, Gloria Estefan, Jennifer Hudson, and many more.
DetailDi'Anno: Iron Maiden's Lost Singer
A pair of fans launch a crowdfunding campaign to rescue Paul Di’Anno, Maiden’s lost singer, wheelchair-bound, neglected. He escapes to Croatia during the pandemic, battles poverty, reunites with old bandmates, finds love, and stages a heroic return. Metallica, Kiss, Slayer, and Megadeth testify to his legacy.
DetailDJ Ahmet
Tragicomedy: As 15-year-old shepherd Ahmet putters through the North Macedonian countryside, electronic beats thump from his tractor—music that promises a way out of his conservative Muslim community. When the beautiful Aya moves to the village, the two grow closer at secret raves, but she is already betrothed to another. To prevent the marriage, they attempt to break free from tradition.
DetailEmerging from the Shadows - Rediscovering the Legacies of Weinberg and Korngold
Born in Warsaw and Vienna, bound by their Jewish heritage, composers Mieczysław Weinberg and Erich Wolfgang Korngold were both forced to flee the Holocaust, Weinberg finding refuge in the USSR, Korngold reinventing himself as a Hollywood film composer. Director Veronika Emily Pohl traces their contrasting lives and neglected legacies, through the efforts of conductor Constantine Orbelian and cellist Kristina Reiko Cooper to bring their music the recognition it deserves. The film director, Veronika Emily Pohl will be in attendance for a Q&A following the screening
DetailEnsemble Modern - Why We Play
The first feature-length documentary dedicated to one of the world's leading contemporary music ensembles. Going beyond the concert stage, the film immerses us in the charged space of rehearsals, where sound is still alive, fragile, and taking shape. With works by Rebecca Saunders, Heiner Goebbels, and Mark Andre, alongside a younger generation of composers, it presents music not as something fixed, but as a restless, collective search for the sound of our time. Followed by: A talk with director Thorsten Schütte
DetailEuropean Talent Competition
Eighteen composers and sound designers from fourteen nominated entries are in the running for this year’s EUROPEAN TALENT AWARD. While some collaborated in teams, others worked individually on their submissions. The winners will be announced at the festive awards ceremony on July 17th at the COMEDIA Theater.
DetailEverybody Digs Bill Evans
June 1961: Pianist Bill Evans records two groundbreaking jazz albums at New York’s Village Vanguard in a single day. Days later, his musical soulmate, bassist Scott LaFaro, dies in a car accident. Devastated, Evans stops playing. Documentary filmmaker Grant Gee’s fiction debut charts the long road back to the piano—a journey marked by grief and addiction: the story of a musical genius learning that silence, too, is part of the music.
DetailGame Music Composer Concert with Zanshin
An immersive solo performance from the Austrian artist behind Ogris Debris and Depart. Expect sound sculpting, electronic textures, and a journey that moves freely between meditative introspection and ecstatic dancefloor energy. GAME MUSIC COMPOSER CONCERTS is a concert series in Cologne hosted by Uli Sigg and Bob Humid, presenting game music composers and producers in immersive live performances. One artist, one evening.
DetailIhre Kinder - Pioneers of German Pop
In the early 1970s, Ihre Kinder forged a sound unlike anything in German music, bridging the gap between Schlager and English-language rock with progressive, folk-inflected songs addressing social injustice, environmental destruction, and cultural change. This documentary traces the band's legacy through archival material and voices from music and culture, revealing their foundational role in the history of German-language rock.
DetailKitKatClub - Kinks of Berlin
Inside one of the world's most iconic clubs, this documentary follows very different people through their Berlin nights: a drag artist chasing his breakthrough, friends discovering new sexualities, a BDSM couple, a dog-play duo, a man fighting addiction, and club founder Simon—a relic of the club's founding generation. A film about freedom, identity, and unlearning shame.
DetailL’odyssée musicale de Kate Bush
In 1978, a teenage Kate Bush topped the charts with Wuthering Heights—its unconventional lyrics, eclectic style, and avant-garde performances making an immediate impact. After years as an almost mythical, elusive figure, a second wave came in 2022 when Running Up That Hill appeared in Stranger Things, becoming the most-streamed song globally on Spotify and the most Shazamed song in history. Followed by: A talk with director Sonia Gonzalez
DetailLeave One Day
Cécile is about to open her own gourmet restaurant, finally making her dream come true, when suddenly her father has a heart attack and she is called back to the village where she was born. Far from the hubbub of Paris life, she runs into her teenage crush. The memories come flooding back, destabilizing her certainties.
DetailLittle Trouble Girls
Sixteen-year-old Lucia joins the all-girls choir at her Catholic school, where she befriends Ana-Maria, a popular third-year student. During a weekend retreat at a remote convent, her growing fascination with a restoration worker strains her bond with Ana-Maria and the rest of the choir. As her sexuality begins to surface, Lucia finds herself questioning her beliefs, and the harmony around her.
DetailLove on Trial
A music-filled story set in the world of J-pop: Mai, an up-and-coming pop idol, falls in love—even though her contract expressly forbids it. When her relationship comes to light, her own agency takes her to court. The film explores a practice widespread in the J-pop and K-pop universes: contractual bans on relationships for female artists, prioritizing image and commercial interests over personal freedom. It had its world premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.
DetailMusic is a frame - Manos Tsangaris
As a student, drummer Manos Tsangaris chose a new kind of activism: he became a composer. His stages are forests, cafés, retirement homes, underground stations, and opera houses. When he told filmmaker Barbara Lubich in 2015 that no film could be made about his work, and then asked her to try, she accepted. A film about the power of listening, and how the world shifts when we truly hear it. The film's protagonist, Manos Tsangaris, and director Barbara Lubich will be in attendance for a Q&A following the screening.
DetailPauline Black: A 2 Tone Story
A portrait of Pauline Black, lead vocalist of The Selecter and pioneer of the 2 Tone movement, whose fusion of punk and ska carried an unambiguous anti-racist message through the turbulent late 1970s. Jane Mingay's documentary explores the paradox at its heart: how a Black artist attracted a following that partly drew from skinhead and neo-Nazi subcultures, and how Pauline Black continues to carry that message today. After the screening, a Q&A with protagonist Pauline Black will follow.
DetailPeer Raben Music Award screening
In 2026, SoundTrack_Cologne will once again present the award for Best Original Score in a Short Film, thereby honoring the legacy of renowned German film composer Peer Raben. Seven scores from award-winning festival highlights have been nominated: *A Better You*, *Unbound*, *MELPOMENE – Fragments of a Fever Dream*, *The Gathering Light*, *Rough Ways*, *The Apricot*, and *Lantern*. The nominated guests will present their work.
DetailSEE THE SOUND 2026 Cinema Pass
The full pass: Attend all films of the SEE THE SOUND 2026 programme with the Cinema Pass and save.
DetailShort Film Programme - New Paths
Sometimes, you’ve simply had enough. This sudden realization doesn’t arrive with a bang, but as a quiet thought, a demand for change. Seven international short films tell stories of emancipation: from the West, from one’s parents, and sometimes even from oneself. Seven stories of striking out on a new path, of resistance, and of the quiet, radical idea that freedom might just begin the moment you stop asking for permission. The screening of the short films is free of charge.
DetailSilent Film Concert - HANSEATEN
French cellist and composer Cécile Lacharme will perform at the COMEDIA Theater in Cologne on 16 July 2026, presenting her original composition for the restored German silent film HANSEATEN. Created in collaboration with the Deutsche Kinemathek, the performance will be recorded live and synchronised with the restored film, bringing a century-old work back to life through a contemporary musical voice.
DetailSound of Air
Two artists—one working with images, the other with sound—embark on a collaborative process of experimentation. By stepping into each other’s practices, image and sound challenge and shift one another, until a new form of expression gradually emerges from the tension between the visible and the audible. An unusual portrait of composer and trumpeter Nils Petter Molvær.
DetailSun Ra: Do The Impossible
Poet, philosopher, Egyptologist, bandleader—jazz visionary Sun Ra defied all classification. With his Sun Ra Arkestra, he stretched the boundaries of free jazz, weaving Afrofuturist thinking and interstellar metaphors into a cosmic mission. Director Christine Turner assembles a kaleidoscopic portrait through archival footage, Arkestra testimonies, and scholar insights.
DetailTalk with Chris Young
Composer Christopher Young, named the "Greatest Horror Film Composer of All Time" by BBC Music Magazine and celebrated across more than 160 feature films spanning horror, drama, and large-scale action, will be honoured with the Career Achievement Award at SoundTrack_Cologne 23. On Thursday, 16 July, he will take part in an in-depth onstage conversation about his acclaimed career, followed by a special award ceremony on Friday, 17 July, featuring the Neues Rheinisches Kammerorchester performing a selection of his most iconic scores.
DetailTalking to you: Christof Lauer
Christof Lauer, one of Europe’s great jazz saxophonists, served as a soloist for the NDR for 25 years, played for decades in the Hessischer Rundfunk ensemble, and was a member of the Albert Mangelsdorff Quintet. *Talking to You* reveals how this distinctive musician tells his story through sound and why he will never stop searching for new forms of expression. Following the screening, there will be a conversation with Lauer and the film’s director, Lucie Herrmann, as well as a short saxophone performance by Christof Lauer.
DetailThe Magic City: Birmingham according to Sun Ra
On May 22, 1914, Herman Blount arrives on Earth in Birmingham, the "Magic City", a segregated Southern factory town. At the age of 32, he leaves to become Sun Ra. This film returns to the city-universe that birthed his cosmic philosophy: political and magical.
DetailThe Musician and the Whale
After discovering that his music attracts cetaceans, composer Rone embarks on an extraordinary journey to meet a humpback whale and create music for it. In the middle of the ocean, the two engage in a unique, touching exchange, does the whale sing back?
DetailThe Radio Club
In early 1980s Los Angeles, one club became the unlikely birthplace of the West Coast Hip-Hop scene, where Hip-Hop, electro, nightlife, and urban politics collided. Through key voices from that era, including Ice-T, this documentary restores a crucial yet overlooked moment to its rightful place in the broader history of Hip-Hop.
DetailTrambólika
TRAMBÓLIKA is an intimate and luminous journey into the life of Chelo, a queer artist in rural Spain whose techno beats and painted performances stage a deeply personal revolution. Through her, a migrant director finds an unexpected mirror of his own story.
Detail
