Premio Mercurio d’Argento 2026 – Music for the Image

COMPETITION FOR NEW COMPOSERS

One of the central elements of the Premio Mercurio d’Argento is its competition dedicated to new composers of music for the screen, open free of charge to Italian and international musicians of any age.

 

For this edition, participants have been invited to create the music for the short film “Cocco di Mamma” (2025), directed by Antonio Ribezzi, who will also be present during the awards ceremony.

 

The winner will receive the characteristic Mercurio d’Argento statuette, created by the Fonderia d’Arte Massimo Del Chiaro in Pietrasanta, as well as a 500€ cash prize. The winner will be announced on the evening of Saturday, August 29.

 

WORKSHOPS AND PROFESSIONAL MEETINGS

The educational workshops, one of the festival’s main features, will take place at the Sala Consiliare of the Comune di Massa, need previous registration, and will be aimed at professionals, students and enthusiasts interested in learning more about the creative process behind music for the screen.

 

• On Saturday, August 29 (15:30 – 17:00h), Nicola Tescari will present the workshop “Musica e scena: un rapporto di distanze e vicinanze / Music and Scene: A Relationship of Distances and Proximities”, focusing on the relationship between music and image and on the composer’s ability to adopt different perspectives towards the action and the characters.

 

• Following this (17:15 – 18:30h), Fabio Massimo Capogrosso will present “Sincerità e autenticità come valori da preservare nella composizione di musica per il cinema / Sincerity and Authenticity as Values to Preserve in Film Music Composition”, a reflection on the importance of maintaining one’s own musical voice in the face of increasing stylistic homogenisation and the demands of the audiovisual industry.

 

• On Sunday, August 30 (15:30 – 17:00h), Franco Eco will give the lecture “Il flauto di Divje Babe dei Neanderthal e l’intelligenza artificiale dei Sapiens. Origini e futuro della musica applicata / The Divje Babe Neanderthal Flute and the Artificial Intelligence of Sapiens. Origins and Future of Applied Music”, exploring the origins of applied music and connecting palaeoanthropology and neuroscience with digital media and artificial intelligence.

 

• The educational programme will conclude (17:15 – 18:30h) with the presentation of “La Sinfonia delle Emozioni / The Symphony of Emotions”, the book by Daniela Bocconi and Massimo Privitera, published by Bietti Edizioni as part of the “Fotogrammi” collection. The event will be moderated by Marco Testoni and will explore the relationship between music, emotions and the audiovisual imagination.

 

MUSA FILM MUSIC CRITICS AWARD 2026

During the Premio Mercurio d’Argento awards ceremony on Saturday, August 29, a new edition of the MUSA Film Music Critics Award will also be presented, created in collaboration with Soundtrack City and ColonneSonore.net, where Gorka Oteiza (SoundTrackFest) had the honour of serving as a member of the jury.

 

In its third edition, the award will recognise Fabio Massimo Capogrosso for his music for Primavera, directed by Damiano Michieletto; Paolo Buonvino for the score of the Netflix series Il Gattopardo; and Franco Eco for the music of the documentary Hadar – il frutto di Dio.

 

More information can be found here:

https://soundtrackfest.com/en/news/musa-film-music-critics-award-3rd-edition-winners/

 

CONCERTS - THREE NIGHTS OF MUSIC

• The musical programme will begin on Friday, August 28, at 21:30h, at the Teatro Guglielmi, free admission, with “La Gang del Bosco”, as part of the “Il Mercurio dei Piccoli” initiative. The event will be dedicated to animated film and family audiences, featuring the film La Gang del Bosco and the participation of actor and voice artist Luca Ward.

 

• The main concert on Saturday, August 29, will take place at 2:30h in Piazza Aranci, with free admission, and will be dedicated to one of the greatest names in the history of film music: John Williams. Under the title “Omaggio a John Williams / A Tribute to John Williams”, the Ensemble Symphony Orchestra, conducted by maestro Giacomo Loprieno, will perform some of the American composer’s best-known scores, including music from Star Wars, Harry Potter, Jurassic Park, E.T., Schindler’s List and Raiders of the Lost Ark. More than 50 musicians will take the stage, accompanied by actor and voice artist Luca Ward.

 

• The festival will close its 2026 edition on Sunday, August 30, at 21:30h, also in Piazza Aranci, with “Cristina D’Avena feat. Gem Boy”, with free admission. The show will combine the popular songs from animated series performed by Cristina D’Avena with the distinctive humour and musical parodies of Gem Boy, featuring songs that have accompanied several generations, from Occhi di gatto and Kiss Me Licia to other great classics from the 1980s.

 

A FESTIVAL DEDICATED TO MUSIC FOR THE SCREEN

With this combination of education, competition, outreach and live music, the Premio Mercurio d’Argento 2026 once again places the spotlight on the importance of music as an essential part of audiovisual storytelling, offering three days of different perspectives on the work of the composer and their relationship with film, television, video games and new technologies.

 

Admission to the activities is free of charge until capacity is reached, while registration is required for the educational workshops.