Gregor Keienburg

Twenty-seven-thousand photos of civilian detainees tortured to death were stolen from the Syrian regime's secret archives by a military defector codenamed Caesar, and made public in 2014. But international justice proves impotent in prosecuting the criminal Syrian state. Many of these victims' families, along with activists and Caesar himself, seek truth and justice through state courts across Europe instead. More than five years of investigations and fighting will lead to the first trial against high officials of the Syrian death machine.

Gregor Keienburg co-wrote the score with Raffael Seyfried. The soundtrack is a homogenous blend of electronic instruments and percussion, complemented by contemporary solo-string arrangements.

A man with no criminal record robs an armed transport, only to get himself arrested on the spot. He struggles to adapt to prison life, and his presence remains an enigma to inmates and prison guards alike. While he gets more and more entangled with the internal power struggle between two gangs of inmates, his own motifs are slowly revealed, and a dark secret from his past is brought to light.

Martin Hawie and Laura Harwarth tell a dark, yet melancholic story about family, loss and revenge. Among an extraordinary cast, Lucas Gregorowicz and Denis Moschito stand out as involuntary antagonists.

The score is built around polymetric concepts, and slow changing timbres. The sonic landscape emerges from analog synthesizers and tape delays, complemented by solo-strings and experimental orchestral textures, recorded with a chamber string-orchestra in Budapest. 

Pjotr, nicknamed "Toro" for his bullish demeanor and physique, works as a callboy for lonely women. He is trying to save enough money to venture back to his home country Poland, to open up a boxing gym. His best friend Victor has a serious drug habit, which he also tries to finance by small scale prostitution, but ultimately he becomes indebted to a dangerous drug dealer. Pjotr is secretely in love with Víctor, but he remains unable to accept his homosexuality, due to his strong catholic faith and upbringing. Between Toros inner conflict, and the ever increasing pressure from the drug dealer, things seem to spiral towards a violent conclusion.

The score is built around the electric guitar as its single source of sound. It draws from various musical influences, ranging from Nancy Sinatra to the oud virtuoso Naseer Shamma. Extensive use of a violin-bow and an e-bow allowed the composer to produce sustained textures with gradual changes in timbre on the guitar.

Toro was screened at the Berlin International Film Festival 2016, in the category "Perspectives on German Cinema"