The short film Side Walks – Ensemble Modern & Friends in Frankfurt follows composer Brigitta Muntendorf and Ensemble Modern percussionist Rainer Römer on a walk through Frankfurt.
Moving between tryouts, conversations and shared routes through the city, the film offers personal insights into the making of the new work Last Show. Q & A for Ensemble and Audience. How does a musical idea take shape in direct exchange with the musicians? And what happens when things are tried out, discarded and rethought?

“Essential viewing for all avant-gardists — and for anyone who wants to understand them.” Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung”

ENSEMBLE MODERN – WHY WE PLAY is the first feature-length documentary about the work of Ensemble Modern, one of the world’s leading ensembles for contemporary music. The film offers an intimate insight into the ensemble’s creative processes and reveals music as a collective, physical experience. The film also documents the world premiere of the music theatre production MELENCOLIA, featuring behind-the-scenes footage, making-of material, and excerpts from the premiere performance. Following its acclaimed world premiere at the Lichter Filmfest Frankfurt, where it won the Audience Award, the film has been captivating audiences at renowned film festivals and in cinemas.