John Gürtler & Jan Miserre
Biography
John Gürtler
John Gürtler is a multiple award-winning film composer currently based in Berlin. He has written over 40 film scores, produces electronic music, songs and orchestral work and has won numerous awards, including ‘Best Song in a Film’ at the 2014 German Film Music Awards for What Love Is, the ‘German Documentary Award’ for Above and Below at DOK.fest München in 2015 and a Camille Award 2021 as well as the ‘European Original Score 2019’ for System Crasher, presented by the European Film Academy.
Raised in London by Portuguese-German parents, he moved to Germany after living in the U.S. and Portugal and studied Saxophone at the University of Arts in Berlin. During his studies, he increasingly turns towards the piano, vocals and any instrument he could get his hands on. After touring internationally with different bands and orchestras, John studied film music at the Film Academy Baden-Württemberg. Ever since, John had the chance to work with the diverse Berlin music scene at his studio Paradox Paradise, always in close collaboration with Jan Miserre, co-composer and producer. Their recent film projects include the multiple award-winning documentary Space Dogs, the German television drama series Charité at War, Veins of the World, A Mouthful of Air as well as Nora Fingscheidt's The Outrun (world premiere at Sundance 2024). An adamant improviser, John uses the studio as a room for electro acoustic (sound) experimentation, straying away from standardized sounds whenever possible and finding an individual language for each project where the borders between score, sound and source music start to dissolve.
Venturing out and returning to his roots as an experimental improviser and producer, John has released on Dial Records remixing Efdemin under his moniker The Borderland State, on Sky Walking with the Sollmann & Gürtler project and the latest release of his Field Kit project with composer Hannah von Hübbenet on Nonostar Records. John is associate lecturer for music and sound design at the Film Academy BW and the HSD in Düsseldorf.
Jan Miserre
Jan Miserre grew up in Erlangen, Bavaria as the son of a Jazz saxophone player and was - at an early age - introduced to various kinds of music such as Debussy, Coltrane and the Beatles. He began to learn the piano at age 4 and the drums at age 12. His strong interest in different types of music showed quickly when he gave a number of "Neue Musik" Concerts as interpreter and developed his improvisation skills in several bands.
Since his studies of Jazz Piano at the University of Arts in Berlin Jan has toured almost every continent with numerous bands as sideman and musical director. The last years he focused on composing and producing for cross-genre projects. In 2013 he was awarded the GEMA Musikautorenpreis in the category New Talent together with Torsten Goods and the second prize at the Instant Composing Contest at the Filmfestival Transatlantyk.
Film
Selected Films:
The Outrun, 2024
Directed by Nora Fingscheidt
Music: John Gürtler, Jan Miserre
Feature Film
Empty Nets, 2023
Directed by Behrooz Karamizade
Music: Saba Alizadeh, John Gürtler, Jan Miserre
Feature Film
Für Jojo, 2022
Directed by Barbara Ott
Music: John Gürtler & Jan Miserre
Feature Film
The Hamlet-Syndrome, 2022
Directed by Elwira Niewiera, Piotr Rosolowski
Music by John Gürtler & Jan Miserre
Documentary
Dreaming Dogs and Barking Men, 2021
Directed by Elsa Kremer & Levin Peter
Music by John Gürtler & Jan Miserre
Documentary
A Mouthful of Air, 2021
Directed by Amy Koppelman
Music: John Gürtler & Jan Miserre
Feature film
A Pure Place, 2021
Directed by Nikias Chryssos
Music: John Gürtler & Jan Miserre
Feature film
Les Enfants Terribles, 2021
Directed by Ahmet Necdet Cupur
Music: John Gürtler & Jan Miserre
Documentary
Special Jury Award Visions du Réel Nyon 2021
Niemand ist bei den Kälbern, 2021
Directed by Sabrina Sarabi
Music: John Gürtler
World Premiere: Locarno 2021 (Concorso Cineasti del presente)
Feature Film
Kids Run, 2020
Directed by Barbara Ott
Music: John Gürtler, Jan Miserre & Lars Voges
Feature film
Veins Of The World, 2020
Directed by Byambasuren Davaa
Music by John Gürtler & Jan Miserre
Feature Film
System Crasher, 2019
Directed by Nora Fingscheidt
Music: John Gürtler
European Original Score 2019 by the European Film Academy
Camille Award 2021 for Best Electro-Acoustic Score
Feature Film
Space Dogs, 2019
Directed by Elsa Kremer & Levin Peter
Music by John Gürtler & Jan Miserre
Documentary
Charité - Season 2, 2019
Directed by Anno Saul
Music: John Gürtler, Jan Miserre & Hannah von Hübbenet featuring the Oriel Quartet and many others
Television drama
Fig Tree, 2018
Directed by Alamork Davidian
Music: John Gürtler & Jan Miserre
Feature film
The Cleaners, 2018
Directed by Hans Block & Moritz Riesewieck
Music: John Gürtler, Jan Miserre & Lars Voges
Documentary
Precrime, 2017
Directed by Monika Hielscher and Matthias Heeder
Music: John Gürtler, Jan Miserre & Lars Voges
Documentary
Without This World, 2017
Directed by Nora Fingscheidt
Music: John Gürtler
Documentary
Filmfestival Max Ophüls Preis 2017 - Winner Documentary Competition
Liebling, lass die Hühner frei, 2017
Directed by Oliver Schmitz
Music: John Gürtler, Jan Miserre, Lars Voges
TV Movie
House Without Roof, 2016
Directed by Soleen Yusef
Music: John Gürtler, Jan Miserre & Lars Voges
Feature film
Dog Soldiers, 2016
Directed by Lena Leonhardt
Music: John Gürtler, Jan Miserre, Lars Voges
Documentary
Eisen, 2015
Directed by Benjamin Kahlmeyer
Music: John Gürtler & Jan Miserre
Documentary short
Verfehlung (The Culpable), 2014
Directed by Gerd Schneider
Music: John Gürtler & Jan Miserre
Feature film
Wintergast, 2014
Directed by Andy Herzog & Matthias Günther
Music: John Gürtler & Jan Miserre
Feature film
Above and Below, 2014
Directed by Nicolas Steiner
Music: John Gürtler, Jan Miserre & Lars Voges
Documentary fiction
Majub’s Journey, 2013
Directed by Eva Knopf
Music: John Gürtler
Documentary
Battle of the Queens, 2011
Directed by Nicolas Steiner
Music: John Gürtler & Jan Miserre
Documentary
Meanwhile in Mamelodi, 2011
Directed by Benjamin Kahlmeyer
Music: John Gürtler & Jan Miserre
Documentary
FILMSCORE
THE OUTRUN
After an absence of more than ten years, Rona returns to her home on the remote Orkney Islands in Scotland. As she rediscovers the unique, wild landscape in which she grew up, her childhood memories mingle with those from her more recent times as an addict. Her departure for the city and subsequent dissolute years in London resulted in a painful fall. But little by little, her encounter with the enchanted, wind-battered coasts of the islands becomes a chance for a new life.
Nora Fingscheidt’s adaptation of Amy Liptot’s autobiographical bestseller uses harrowing flashbacks to depict Rona’s downward spiral in London and her time in a strict rehab programme. However, the focus of the film is on her liberation from personal demons through a connection with the nature of her childhood home.
World premiere: Sundance 2024
European Premiere: Berlin International Film Festival 2024
FILMSCORE
A MOUTHFUL OF AIR
Julie Davis (Amanda Seyfried) writes bestselling children's books about unlocking your fears, but has yet to unlock her own. When her daughter is born, that trauma is brought to the fore, and with it, a crushing battle to survive.
FILMSCORE
SYSTEM CRASHER
Nora Fingscheidt’s Systemsprenger (System Crasher) outlines the story of nine-year-old Benni, a problem child whose mother, unable to cope, hands her over to the authorities. But Benni proves resistant to all corrective measures – that is, until social worker Micha decides to risk establishing a personal relationship with the child and in doing so crosses a line.
World premiere: Berlin International Film Festival 2019
European Original Score 2019 by the European Film Academy
Camille Award 2021 for Best Electro-Acoustic Score
Creative Energy Award (Nora Fingscheidt & Helena Zengel) & DBG Fimpreis des Publikums Internationales Filmfest Emden-Norderney
Golden Lynx FEST - New Directors New Films Festival
Grand Prize & Taiwan Critics Society Award 台北電影節 Taipei Film Festival
Best Feature Film Vukovar Film Festival
Grand Jury Prize & Special Mention Helena Zengel Drugi Sombor Film Fest
Transatlantyk Distribution Award from the audience Transatlantyk Festival
FILMSCORE
SPACE DOGS
Laika, a stray dog, was the first living being to be sent into space and thus to a certain death. According to a legend, she returned to Earth as a ghost and has roamed the streets of Moscow ever since. Following her trace, and filmed from a dog’s perspective, SPACE DOGS accompanies the adventures of her descendants: two street dogs living in today’s Moscow. Their story is one of intimate fellowship but also relentless brutality, and is interwoven with unseen archive material from the Soviet cosmic era. A magical tale of voyagers scouting for unknown spaces.
World premiere: Locarno Film Festival 2019
DokLeipzig 2019 - International Programme
Viennale 2019
34° Festival Internacional de Cine de Mar Del Plata
Mostra Internacional de Cinema São Paulo
Kompositions-Förderpreis DOK.FEST MUNICH 2016
FILMSCORE
ABOVE AND BELOW
Far, far away and out of sight, that’s where April, Dave, Cindy, Rick and the Godfather are creating life on their own terms. From the depths of the flood channels under Sin City, to a reclaimed military bunker in the middle of the dusty, heated Californian nowhere land to beyond the stratosphere where Mars now lives on earth. Each individual has been flung into periling circumstances on this rollercoaster ride called life. Through the hustle, pain, and laughter, we are whisked away to an unfamiliar world where we discover its inhabitants to be souls not unlike our very own.
German Film Award 2016 Best Documentary & Best Camera
Nominated for Best Documentary - Max Ophüls Film Festival 2015
Hivos Tiger PREISE Competition - International Film Festival Rotterdam 2015
Winner German Documentary Filmmusic Award 2015
Winner Zurich Film Award 2015
Swiss Film Award 2016 (Best Documentary Film, Best Editing, Special Prize for Sound Mix)
Best Documentary Filmschau BW 2015
Winner Fipresci International Critics Prize
Millennium Award 12th Docsagainstgravity
Winner Best Documentary Feature 2015
50th Karlovy Vary IFF Variety Critics Choice
IFFR Rotterdam Tiger Award Competition
Official Selection Doc NYC 2015
Official Selection Hotdocs 2015
Official Selection Camerimage
Official Selection Anchorage International Film Festival