The University of Ulster has teamed up with the Nerve Centre to bring an eclectic three-day film festival to Derry~Londonderry as part of UK City of Culture 2013.

It will be the first time that Cinesonika, the Third International Film and Video Festival of Sound Design, has been hosted outside of its native Canada.

Cinesonika is an annual film festival showcasing international film screenings, video installations and talks.Highlights include the UK and Irish premiere of Canadian film, The Scar, the stunning Irish film, Silence, and a film scoring workshop with Genie award winning composer, Chris Crilly.

The festival also incorporates an international academic conference devoted to soundtrack studies.

This year's conference features Australian musician, composer, film-maker and sound designer, Philip Brophy as keynote speaker.

Dr Adam Melvin, from the School of Creative Arts at Magee, said: “Cinesonika is - to the best of our knowledge – the only film festival in the world with the combined focus of sound and image. We are thrilled and enormously privileged to be the first institution outside of Vancouver to host the event; it promises to be a unique and exciting addition to the City of Culture, 2013 programme.”

Michael Filimowicz, Festival Director, added: “I am delighted that this year's Cinesonika is being held in Derry~Londonderry, UK City of Culture 2013, in collaboration with University of Ulster at Magee.

“The festival represents perhaps the greatest variety of artistic approaches of any festival anywhere. Our focus on the full creative, intellectual and technical integration of sound into the overall experience of moving image art cuts across all forms and aesthetics.

"There are ample opportunities to discover new cinematic experiences through our wide-ranging programming there is something on offer for all tastes and inclinations."

A festival programme and conference schedule are available at: www.cinesonika.com/schedule.

For further information, please contact Dr Adam Melvin, School of Creative Arts, University of Ulster, at: a.melvin@ulster.ac.uk.