Nicolas Winding Refn and Oscar-Winning Composer Daniel Blumberg Set for Sounds Like a Movie Festival, Launched by Italy’s CAM Sugar Label

This November, the city of Milan is set to host the inaugural Sounds Like a Movie (SLAM) festival, a groundbreaking international event dedicated exclusively to cinematic music. Staged at the Triennale Milano museum from November 14th to 16th, the three-day program was launched by the Italian label CAM Sugar to mark its 65th anniversary. It aims to draw a global community of cinephiles and audiophiles with an eclectic schedule featuring live concerts, film projections, panel discussions, masterclasses, and interactive workshops.

The festival boasts a remarkable roster of international talent, including Danish director and cult cinema enthusiast Nicolas Winding Refn, Oscar-winning composer Daniel Blumberg, and Mary Ramos, the acclaimed music supervisor behind many of Quentin Tarantino's iconic soundtracks. The opening panel will address the crucial subject of preserving film scores, with contributions from Gianluca Farinelli, director of the Cineteca di Bologna. This archive is globally renowned for its meticulous restoration of cinematic treasures, from silent era classics to mid-century masterpieces. He will be joined by Stéphane Lerouge, the curator of Universal Music France's Écoutez le Cinéma! collection, and CAM Sugar's own Andrea Fabrizii.

As the organizer, CAM Sugar lends the festival unparalleled credibility, given its stewardship of the world's most comprehensive archive of Italian film music. This collection spans over 2,500 original works, featuring timeless scores by Nino Rota for Federico Fellini’s "La Dolce Vita" and "8 1/2," as well as the experimental pieces found in Ennio Morricone's "Morricone Segreto." The archive also houses contemporary compilations like "Eli Roth’s Red Light Disco," a selection of tracks from Italian exploitation films personally assembled by the director. This vast repository provides a unique sonic foundation, allowing SLAM to chart the artistic evolution of music in film.

Filippo Sugar, CEO of the Sugar Group, articulated the festival's wider mission, stating, "SLAM is a tangible example of our ongoing work to strengthen the profound link between music and imagery, and between the people dedicated to this cultural pursuit. We are proud to launch an event that will help establish Milan as a major international nexus for music and cinema." This initiative reflects a growing cultural trend that treats film composition as a standalone art form, worthy of critical and public engagement in its own right. As film historian Dr. Elena Rossi notes, "The concert hall is becoming the new cinema for a generation that experiences narratives through sound as much as sight."

Attendees can look forward to a series of high-profile conversations, such as a discussion between Nicolas Winding Refn and genre film expert Manlio Gomarasca. Another panel, featuring Mary Ramos and Universal Music Group's head of soundtracks, Holly Adams, will delve into the influential soundscapes of Ennio Morricone. Following a screening of "The Brutalist," journalist Dario Zonta will host composer Daniel Blumberg for a deep dive into his Oscar-winning score, a work that masterfully blends experimental textures with period jazz and culminates in the 1978 Italo disco hit "One for You, One for Me" by La Bionda. The festival's live performances will include sets from composer Emile Mosseri ("Minari"), Emmy-winner Dustin O’Halloran ("Transparent"), and Italian trance artist Lorenzo Senni, providing a vibrant finale to each evening.