Between music and video: strengthening interdisciplinarity and innovation

In response to changes in the audiovisual language of the music industry, the Solothurn Film Festival is expanding its offering as part of the ‘SO PRO’ professional platform. With the support of the FONDATION SUISA, the Solothurn Film Festival will launch ‘Screen to Sound’ at the end of 2025, a new creative laboratory that will replace the ‘Best Swiss Video Clip’ competition.

‘Screen to Sound’ offers musicians and filmmakers the opportunity to present original interdisciplinary creations that bring music to life. These audiovisual creations can take many different forms, ranging from visual albums to immersive musical experiences and live projections during concerts. All ideas are welcome, especially those that dare to innovate and push the boundaries of the dialogue between sound and image.

2026 project selection

A selection of the projects submitted benefited from a day of mentoring with renowned experts from the music and audiovisual scene. At the end of the day, three projects were awarded development grants totalling CHF 10,000, which was divided between them. The day ended on a high note with a concert where music and video became one.

In January 2026, the following projects were awarded:

• «Lolito ceresiaco» by Anna Simonetti and Tatum Rush
• «Hassan» by 7EMA
• «Arthur Hnatek, Sophie Le Meillour» by Arthur Hnatek and Sophie Le Meillour

«Screen to Sound» – Vergabe ｜©Michel Ducommun

«Screen to Sound» – Vergabe ｜©FONDATION SUISA

«Screen to Sound» – Vergabe ｜©Michel Ducommun

«Screen to Sound» – Vergabe ｜©Michel Ducommun

Creative Lab «Screen to Sound» – Vergabe ｜©FONDATION SUISA

Creative Lab «Screen to Sound» – Vergabe ｜©FONDATION SUISA

Creative Lab «Screen to Sound» – Vergabe ｜©FONDATION SUISA

Creative Lab «Screen to Sound» – Experts ｜©Michel Ducommun

A partnership between:

A partnership between:

Current arttv portrait:
Nathalie Froehlich – A rapper without limits

PUBLISHED ON 30 SEPTEMBER 2025

Her motto: «I’m not a queen. I’m a godess!»

Swiss French rapper Nathalie Froehlich impresses with her strong stage presence and clear, direct lyrics. In her live show, she combines baile funk, techno, hardcore and hip-hop into an energetic mix reminiscent of an unforgettable after-party. Since 2022, she has been playing over 50 shows a year and working on her debut album, which is due to be released later this year.

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Other arttv musician’s portraits:

Spotlight Swiss Film Music ｜ Film music concert as part of the Zurich Film Festival ZFF – Tonhalle Zurich

Every autumn, the Tonhalle Zurich turns its attention to film music. This exceptional concert evening showcases emerging film music composers from around the world, pays tribute to the greatest film music composers of our time and honours the big names in Swiss film music.

If a film were a soup, the music would be the salt. If you doubt this, think of the trilogy of The Lord of the Rings (music: Howard Shore) or the films Pirates of the Caribbean (music: Hans Zimmer), which would be unthinkable without their iconic soundtracks. Yet film composers often remain in the shadows compared to famous actors, actresses and directors – and that is precisely what the Zurich Film Festival, the Forum Filmmusik, the Tonhalle Zurich, the Europäische Film Philharmonie and the FONDATION SUISA want to change.

«Spotlight on Swiss Film Music»

Every year, FONDATION SUISA honours a Swiss film music composer as part of its ‘Spotlight on Swiss Film Music’ programme. Our aim is to offer talented composers a public platform to showcase their work, as well as to encourage, support and promote them. The goal is to raise their profile among the public and the film industry and to encourage them in their careers.

2025 ｜ Balz Bachmann
In 2025, this ‘Spotlight’ was awarded to Balz Bachmann, one of Switzerland’s most renowned and internationally sought-after film composers. The Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra presented a specially arranged suite featuring highlights from his film music of recent years.

In 2024, Bachmann was selected from among only twelve composers worldwide to participate in the prestigious ‘Spot the Composer’ promotion programme at the Cannes Film Festival. His works have received numerous awards, including the Swiss Film Award, and have been performed internationally.

Excerpts from the following films were shown: Les Frères noirs, Stille Reserven (Réserves occultes), Le Moineau dans la cheminée, Irvin Yalom, la thérapie du bonheur, Las Toreras.

The ‘Spotlight on Swiss Film Music’ feature is financed by the FONDATION SUISA.

FONDATION SUISA Spotlight Acts from recent years

2024 ｜ Nicolas Rabaeus
Multi-award-winning Swiss film composer and musician, known for his stylistic versatility in film, television and theatre.

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2023 ｜ Mark Baechle
Swiss composer and arranger specialising in orchestral film music; also does work for theatre, audio productions and advertising.

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2022 ｜ Marcel Vaid
Swiss-German composer and musician born in 1967, who has set over 50 feature films and documentaries to music. Known for combining acoustic instruments with electronic elements. Four-time winner of the Swiss Film Award and lecturer at the Zurich University of the Arts.

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2021 ｜ Diego Baldenweg
One of the three Baldenweg siblings (along with Nora and Lionel), who produce work for film and TV. They combine orchestral and modern soundscapes and have won multiple international awards.

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2019 ｜ Adrian Frutiger
(Swiss composer and producer born in 1971, who has create music for productions such as “Sennentuntschi” and “Davos 1917”.

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2018 ｜ Christine Aufderhaar
Swiss composer for cinema, TV and concerts, based in Berlin. Winner of multiple awards, including “European Composer 2008 for Switzerland”.

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2017 ｜ Fabian Römer
Born in 1973, Römer is a Swiss film composer for cinema and TV productions such as “Die Tür” and “Tannbach” and a winner of several international awards.

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2016 ｜ Niki Reiser
Born in 1958 and one of the most well-known Swiss film composers. He has worked with Dani Levy and Rolf Lyssy, amongst others, and received the Swiss Film Award on multiple occasions.

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2015 ｜ Martin Tillman
Swiss cellist and composer born in 1964, a close collaborator of Hans Zimmer on Hollywood productions such as “The Dark Knight” and “Pirates of the Caribbean”.

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2014 ｜ Marcel Barsotti
Swiss film composer born in 1963, creator of over 100 soundtracks for cinema and TV, including “Deutschland. Ein Sommermärchen“ and “Pope Joan”.

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Barrier-free access to classical concerts

The declared aim of the music education project “zusammen, insieme, ensemble” is to open up the world of chamber orchestras and concert halls to people for whom intuitive access to classical music is a challenge. It finds ten Swiss professional orchestras and the professional association ORCHESTER.CH joining forces. As part of the “zusammen, insieme, ensemble” programme, ten commissions have been awarded to ten composers working in Switzerland. The resulting new works are due to be premiered in a nationwide concert week in May.

A music mediation project initiated by orchester.ch and its members:

With the kind support of:

We highly recommend the following three of these concerts:

Legenden, leggende, légendes

Collaboration between the language regions

Working hand-in-glove with the Orchestre de chambre de Lausanne and the Orchestra della Svizzera italiana, the Musikkollegium Winterthur presented a programme consisting of three new pieces by MARIA BONZANIGO, BLAISE UBALDINI and VALENTIN VILLARD.

Conducted by BARBARA DRAGAN, they performed three times, playing one concert in each linguistic region:

• 11 May 2025 at the Salle Métropole in Lausanne
• 14 May 2025 at the Auditorio Stelio Molo RSI in Lugano
• 17 May 2025 at the Stadthaus Winterthur

Maria Bonzanigo｜©Chantal Dervey

Blaise Ubaldini｜©Christian Meuwly 

Valentin Villard｜©David Wagnières

Barbara Dragan｜©Anita Wąsik Płocińska

A collaboration between:

Symphonic Games

Classical meets electronic

On 13 May 2025, the Sinfonieorchester Basel – under the baton of EÍMEAR NOONE – performed a composition by MICHEL BARENGO, an exceptional musician, renaissance man and recipient of the 2019 Get Going grant from FONDATION SUISA. And as always, Michel Barengo, known in particular for the soundtracks of games such as Mundaun and Airheart, redefined the boundaries between modular and orchestral music, electronic and classical, analogue and digital.

• 13 May 2025  at the Stadtkasino Basel

Michel Barengo｜©zVg

Eímear Noone ｜©Isabel Thomas

A collaboration between:

Ensemble

Fusion music with the Orchestre de Chambre de Genève

Several generations and nations came together in Geneva on 13 May: the work “Ensemble” was conceived by musician VICTORIA MAY in collaboration with young secondary school students with a refugee background and the Collège Rousseau’s theatre studio, senior citizens from the AVIVO organisation, musicians from the Geneva Chamber Orchestra, and percussionist Aida Diop. It was premiered by the Geneva Chamber Orchestra.

• 13 May 2025 at the Bâtiment des Forces Motrices (BFM) in Genève

«Ensemble”, Genève

«Ensemble”, Genève

A collaboration between:

Programme notes on all the works may be found here:

The pop music festival m4music, FONDATION SUISA and the Solothurn Film Festival presented the «Best Swiss Video Clip» awards at the m4music Award Show in Zurich on 23 March. A total of 470 artists submitted their music videos for the «Best Swiss Video Clip» 2024. The two prizes, the jury prize and the audience award, are endowed with CHF 5,000 each and are donated by FONDATION SUISA.

JURY PRIZE

From the five nominated clips, the «Best Swiss Video Clip 2024» jury prize was awarded to «Low Lower Son» by Basel band ELFRID THE THIRD & IVAN EYES, feat. The clip was directed by JANIS POLAR, also from Basel.

For the jury, the clip develops an incredible pull effect: «The video casts a spell over the audience and transports them into a dream world. Again and again, ‘Low Lower Son’ arouses curiosity with unusual perspectives on seemingly familiar images. The entire journey is intensified by the mesmerising music, so that the video remains an invigorating experience even on the second, third or fourth viewing.»

The five clips in the running for the Jury Prize 2024 will each receive CHF 2,000.-, donated by FONDATION SUISA:

• «Berger» by MEGA, SO LA LUNE, AU6I ⎥ Directed by Tymen Goetsch
• «Dancemorethinkless» von CABLESALAD ⎥ Directed by Naïma Winkler, Leon Cremonini, Yannick Scherer
• «Fäschtmol» von TO ATHENA ⎥ Directed by Larissa Odermatt, Tiffany Limacher
• «Low Lower Son» von ELFRID THE THIRD & IVAN EYES ⎥ Directed by Janis Polar
• «Light Light» von PRONTO ⎥ Directed by Maximilian Speidel
  
  

AUDIENCE AWARD

In the public online voting, «Thunfisch» by BOYSEL beat the other 15 clips to win the «Best Swiss Videoclip 2024» audience award.

Boysel is a collaboration between Manuel Meisel (Anna Rossinelli) and Sebastien Bolli(Dave From Hollywood) from Basel with animated video clips by Kilian Vilim and Etienne Mory. The film was directed by SEBASTIEN BOLLI.