SOCAN #ComposersWhoScore at 2023 VIFF Amp Music in Film Summit

SOCAN #ComposersWhoScore Felipe Téllez and Medhat Hanbali took advantage of the opportunity to record and perform their original scores with world-class orchestral musicians, as they participated in the inaugural edition of the Composer Filmmaker Accelerator (CFA) program at the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) Amp Music in Film Summit, held Oct. 5-8, 2023. Other SOCAN members who participated in sessions at the Summit included Todor Kobakov, Amritha Vaz, and Adrian Ellis.

The CFA paired 12 emerging composers with four established filmmakers through virtual learning sessions, followed by an in-person recording and mixing session at Vancouver’s The Warehouse Studios, with the musical pieces performed by musicians from the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.

Téllez is a Colombian-Canadian, BIPOC screen composer, who recently scored the Canadian-Nigerian production Orah, selected for the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in September. His unique style merges modern electronics, traditional Colombian folk, and a classical symphonic approach. Recently, he orchestrated for Hubert Davis’s award-winning documentary Black Ice, and did music copying and conducting on Brother (which earned 14 Canadian Screen Award nominations in 2023). Téllez was also the copyist and additional orchestrator for Mike Post (Law and Order) on his double-album.

Hanbali has scored numerous productions for film, television, videogames, and multi-media shows, and his musical palette covers a wide range of genres. In 2021, he earned First Prize for Best Animated Score in the SOCAN Foundation Emerging Screen Composers Awards. Additionally, Hanbali has worked as an arranger for several established Canadian artists, including Bobby Bazini and Geneviève Leclerc. He’s currently completing a Master’s degree in Film Scoring.

SOCAN representatives attending the Summit were President of the Board of Directors Marc Ouellette; Creative Executive, Film/TV & Visual Media, Gagan Singh; SOCAN Foundation Executive Director Charlie Wall-Andrews; and SOCAN Foundation Grants Manager Julien Boumard Coallier.

The VIFF Amp Music in Film Summit nurtures, educates, and champions emerging and newly established music professionals (composers, songwriters, music entrepreneurs). It provides creative insights, mentorship, and unique career development opportunities from international screen composing experts. The summit features expertly curated masterclasses, case studies, panel discussions, networking, breakout sessions, and musical showcases, all designed to develop skills and create relationships.