The Brief
SCHMIDT wants you to make the music video for her new song SinCity! Be inspired by the song and let your creative vision flow!
SCHMIDT
With nearly 100 filmmakers from all over the world participating, the winners for the SinCity International Film Award are now announced!
NEW EP OUT NOW
SCHMIDT's debut EP, Above SinCity is out now on vinyl and CD. Produced by the legendary London based producer Guy Chambers (Robbie Williams, Kylie), you can listen to the tracks and get it here.
SCHMIDT ON HER SONGS
Shadowman ≫Women should be familiar with this phenomenon. It is about a man who is always at the back of one's mind. Sometimes, he behaves like a shadow: When you try to grab hold of him, he disappears. play
SinCity ≫The sinful city. It is also the soundtrack of a current international short-film contest. I live in London and in Berlin. They are my two sin cities. If you want to, you can make endless discoveries there. And for a song writer, there is so much to tell about life in a sin city, one song is barely enough... play
Boom Boom ≫I can still remember: I came to the studio in London and Guy Chambers welcomed me, he was in a jokey mood and we decided to write a funny song... Boom Boom turned out to be an unusually complex song, which from a musical standpoint is probably the most demanding of the whole EP. play
Under My Heart ≫A very important song for me. Probably the most personal song there is. I wrote it for a friend. I wanted to show him that I am thinking of him and that I am there for him and that he must never give up hope. play
Venus In Furs ≫This is the only cover song of the EP. It is a Velvet Underground song, a band without equals and which I hold in high regard. This is the first song about SM, based on the book "Venus im Pelz (Venus in Furs)" by Leopold von Sacher Masoch. For us, it mattered that musically, the song simply knocked us for six and we desperately wanted to add something of ourselves to it. play
Check out the artist bio
Artist Bio
Hey, I'm SCHMIDTSCHMIDT, 21, is a young singer from Berlin, who was discovered by a big name in the music scene between London and LA: Guy Chambers. In SCHMIDT, he has found the modern young woman who embodies the new zeitgeist, which can today be felt in London, Berlin and in the big metropolises of the world.
London 2011 – a cocktail is electrifying the club scene: The ecstatic feeling of freedom of Berlin in the 1920s merges with Cabaret, New Burlesque and exciting new tunes. In London, the era of the Blue Angel is experiencing a revival in the style of young people, in the atmosphere of exclusive establishments and in champagne-fuelled, sinful nights. A trend originating directly from the current zeitgeist. And a young woman from today's Berlin is one of its protagonists - SCHMIDT.
With an understated "Hey, I’m SCHMIDT", the 21-year-old opened her stage debut in London at Guy Chamber`s “Orgasmatron”, a music event providing a stage for 21st Century Cabaret. Since then, the young artists has been moving around the London music scene, among others working with musicians at the legendary jazz club "Ronnie Scott's". Looking for a special sound: Jazz influenced pop, in a very own, authentic way. It inspired the music of the 1920s and today's attitude to life. Through cabaret, jazz, freedom and joie de vivre.
Music relating to the hidden desires of young women. Vulnerable but self-assured and demanding.
In her at times provocative and profound texts, SCHMIDT talks about joie-de-vivre and devotion, sung in an apparently innocent but at the same time experienced and lasciviously-demanding voice. She lives the free spirit of the lost epoch and breathes in the pulsating creativity of the two cities, in which her life is played out these days.
And she translates her inspirations and stories into a vesture of sound of the 21st century, together with Guy Chambers, her congenial "partner in crime".
Her EP "Above SinCity" with Warner Music will be released on the 21 October, providing an interesting insight into her debut album, which is due for release in February 2012.
Jury
SinCity will be judged by a highly acclaimed team, including hit songwriters, Academy Award winners & nominees, film directors, music video directors, actors, record label and film studio executives. Here are their biographies in alphabetical order;
Guy Chambers’ achievements are ranked amongst the highest in entertainment. His CV stretches from playing keyboards with Julian Cope and World Party in the mid-80s, to writing and producing for pop artists eg. Kylie Minogue, James Blunt, Jamie Cullum, Katie Melua, Scissor Sisters and The Wanted. His work with Robbie Williams is legendary, producing five No.1 albums, that eventually made their way to 40 million homes.
He has also worked on several film soundtracks including "Bridget Jones's Diary", "Finding Nemo", "Love Actually" and a collaboration with Queen on their classic track "We Are the Champions" for the hit movie "A Knight's Tale". His passion, innovation and drive in seeking collaborations with new artists and to create outside of his comfort zone, are unfaltering. Such an illustrious career clearly enables you to "do what you want" - and he does exceedingly well. As host on TV (recently the BBC documentary "Secrets of the Pop Song") and with his own music nights in Shoreditch. "The Orgasmatron", are bi-monthly 21st century cabaret events, the stage to be for talent. Guy currently divides his time between his London and LA studio, doing what he loves most: writing songs. As his most recent project, he has written and produced (together with Richard Flack) SCHMIDT’s debut album featuring the song SinCity, recorded at Sleeper Sound Studios in London.
We warmly welcome him to the Jury of the International SinCity Film Award.
As Director of the Artist Department with Warner Music Entertainment, Rita has overseen Udo Lindenberg’s No. 1 comeback, the career of Roger Cicero, Melanie C’s number-one hit "First Day Of My Life". Rita was also instrumental in Nena’s smash comeback, the most successful comeback album in German history. Rita’s professional career began with Deutsche Grammophon. She then worked for Teldec and Metronome. In 1993, she became Senior A&R and Head of Marketing with eastwest, where she was responsible for glittering successes for instance of Sarah Brightman’s and Andrea Bocelli’s "Time To Say Goodbye", "United" by Marky Mark and Prince Ital Joe, as well as of the soundtracks to the German hit films "Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door" and "Sonnenallee".
2001, Rita became a member of Senior Management with Warner Music Entertainment (WME). During her time there, she successfully built up the A&R department, helping WSM become the most successful German music label after its first year. Rita also contributed heavily to the creation of the "starwatch entertainment" label, a joint venture between Warner Music and the ProSiebenSat.1 Group. Her current projects include Melanie C’s latest album, Roger Cicero’s fourth album and the highly-anticipated debut album of solo artist SCHMIDT. Rita is also involved in Udo Lindenberg’s large-scale MTV Unplugged project.
We warmly welcome her to the jury of the SinCity Film Award.
Since graduating from film school in the 1990s, Gallenberger has directed a large number of films. In 2001, he won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film with Quiero ser. This film deals with a quintessential Sin City theme – the battle for survival facing street children in Mexico City. Later, Gallenberger spent two years living and working in China, where he filmed his masterpiece, "John Rabe". The film won several awards, including the 2009 German Film Award in Gold. Florian Gallenberger is a member of the high-IQ society Mensa and loves to share his knowledge with others.
We warmly welcome him to the jury of the International SinCity Film Award.
Thekla Reuten, who graduated from Amsterdam's Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1997, quickly became a front-runner in the new wave of European actresses, lauded for her performance on international stages and screens. Her work does not know borders, neither geographically nor emotionally. She acted in three Oscar-nominated films: "Twin Sisters", "Everybody’s Famous", and "In Bruges". In the American TV-series "Sleeper Cell" she was Mina, a Muslim fundamentalist. In "Ceasefire", the award winning debut-film of Lancelot von Naso, she played Kim, a medical helper in the Iraq war. On stage she was the bride in Garcia Lorca's "Blood Wedding" at the Almeida Theatre in London.
Last year, she starred as Mathilde opposite George Clooney in Anton Corbijn's highly acclaimed film "The American". This coming October, Leander Haußmann's "Hotel Lux" will be released, where Thekla plays a leading role as Frida van Oorten. She is involved in the international Green Filmmaking Competition, and is highly interested to see young filmmakers reflect on the spirit of today's Sin Cities, nearly a century after the Roaring Twenties.
We warmly welcome her to the jury of the SinCity Film Award.
Starting with studies of political science and law in Paris, Schlöndorff emerged into the world of film in his early twenties. He met the initiators of the Nouvelle Vague at the Cinémathèque Francaise and became assistant director on the set of Louis Malle’s "Zazie dans le metro". In 1980, his film adaptation of Günter Grass’ "The Tin Drum" won an Academy Award as Best Foreign Language Film. His life’s work focuses mainly on literature film adaptations, such as "Un Amour de Swann" by Marcel Proust, "Young Törless" by Robert Musil or "The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum" by Heinrich Böll., "Death of a Salesman" by Arthur Miller.
Schlöndorff lived and worked in Los Angeles and New York, being a key figure in the Euro-American film scene, but returned to Germany after the reunification. From 1991 until 1997, he was Executive Director of Studio Babelsberg. Schlöndorff teaches film and literature at the German Film and Television Academy Berlin and at the European Graduate School in Saas-Fee, Switzerland. As Vice President of the European Film Academy, he plays an important role in European cultural policies.
We warmly welcome him to the jury of the SinCity Film Award.
Philipp Stölzl’s background is in theatre – he began his career as a stage designer in his native Munich. In 1997, he filmed his first music video "Du hast" by Rammstein, and since then he has been one of the most sought-after directors in the field. Stölzl has worked with Evanescence, a-ha and Anastacia, as well as German acts like Die Toten Hosen, Die Ärzte and Marius Müller-Westernhagen. He directed the video for Madonna’s hit "American Pie", and shot Garbage’s James Bond theme "The World is Not Enough". He has also filmed high-profile commercials for brands such as Sony, Rolex and Cruzcampo. In 2005, he added opera to his repertoire and has since directed productions in Berlin, Salzburg and Basel. "Baby", "North Face" and "Young Goethe in Love" are Stölzl’s first, very well-received feature films.
We warmly welcome him to the jury of the International Sin City Film Award.
With a degree in mathematics and physics from the University of Leiden, young Paul Verhoeven joined the Dutch Navy. Here, he discovered his passion for filmmaking when he shot the documentary "The Royal Dutch Marine Corps", a military film that brought him first international attention in 1965. Verhoeven then moved on from television productions and series to feature films. "Turkish Delight" was a breakthrough success, not only in the Netherlands – it was nominated for the Academy Awards and recently decided on as the Golden Calf Best Dutch Film of the Century. After more well-received productions made in the Netherlands such as "The Fourth Man", Verhoeven moved to Hollywood. Among his most famous films shot in the United States are "Basic Instinct", "Total Recall", "Hollow Man" and "Starship Troopers". After twenty years, he returned to the Netherlands in 2006, where his film "Black Book" won numerous awards.
We warmly welcome him to the jury of the International SinCity Film Award.
Since 2007, Eike Wolf is Head of Corporate Communications & Publicty at Studio Babelsberg, the world's oldest large-scale film studio. After work in human resources development for DaimlerChrysler as well as in public relations projects for Publicis, Eike Wolf is responsible for international communications of all film projects produced at Studio Babelsberg. Among the upcoming releases are "Anonymous" by Roland Emmerich premiering at this year's Toronto Film Festival, and "The Three Musketeers" by Paul W.S. Anderson.
In 2012, Studio Babelsberg celebrates its 100th jubilee. Germany's biggest film studio is situated in Potsdam-Babelsberg near Berlin. Studio Babelsberg produces feature films and is involved in co-productions of international high-budget films. Throughout the studio's history, milestones of cinema like Fritz Lang's "Metropolis" and Josef von Sternberg's "The Blue Angel" starring Marlene Dietrich were shot in Babelsberg. In the past years, the studio has produced international top movies like Quentin Tarantino's "Inglorious Basterds" or Roman Polanski's "The Ghost Writer". Productions of Studio Babelsberg won countless international prizes. Amongst them several Academy Awards.
We warmly welcome him to the jury of the International SinCity Film Award.
After graduating from the Academy of Arts in Munich, Zehetbauer worked his way up from assistant set designer to the position of head set designer at Bavaria Studios. In 1973, he won an Academy Award for his set design in "Cabaret", one of the most famous film adaptations on the theme Sin City, starring Liza Minnelli. He was also involved in other well-known productions that breathe the spirit of the Roaring Twenties, such as "Lili Marleen" and "Comedian Harmonists". Zehetbauer worked with top directors like Bob Fosse, Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Wolfgang Petersen. Apart from the film industry Zehetbauer is also an interior designer and architect. Amongst other spectacular projects, he designed for instance the exhibition rooms of The Deutsches Museum Bonn. Since more than 50 years, his work is exemplary for the next generation of set designers all over the world.
We warmly welcome him to the jury of the International SinCity Film Award.