This year at the  2nd Annual Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival, the Vermont Symphony Orchestra will present its “Excellence in Music Composed for Film Award” to one filmmaker whose selection and incorporation of original music into their film displays the highest potential for future success.
“The Vermont Symphony Orchestra is committed to blanketing our state with exceptional concert experiences, and we love that MNFF is bringing fresh, new art to Vermont,” remarked Executive Director Benjamin Cadwallader. 
As part of this recognition, the VSO will pair the winning filmmaker with a selected rising composer to co-create a new film with original music. If that project is ready by the 2017 MNFF, a live performance of the original score will take place during the debut screening of the film. 
VSO Music Director Jaime Laredo, New Music Advisor David Ludwig, Executive Director Benjamin Cadwallader, members of the VSO and a Vermont-based composer will be on the awarding panel.
“We are extraordinarily pleased to be collaborating with the Vermont Symphony Orchestra on this highly innovative initiative,” said Lloyd Komesar, MNFF producer. “Original music is an essential component of great independent filmmaking. And it makes a powerful statement to the filmmaking community to have the Vermont Symphony Orchestra support the integration of film and music in this remarkable fashion.”
“One of my favorite parts of filmmaking comes during the scoring and recording parts of the process,” said MNFF Artistic Director and Filmmaker Jay Craven. “Music adds mood, texture, emotion and dimension to each moment. The collaborative process to achieve a musical score can lead to rich discoveries, as two very different creative forces unite to find common language. The Vermont Symphony Orchestra’s commitment, to be a part of this, is extremely generous and very exciting for its imaginative potential.”
The Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival will take place August 25-28. Find out more at www.middfilmfest.org or www.vso.org.