SPECIAL Ensemble Modern – Why We Play

Q&A with Director Thorsten Schütte after the screening

• DE 2026
• 104 min
• Director: Thorsten Schütte
• FSK: Not specified
• Documentary: Original version with German voiceover and subtitles where applicable

ENSEMBLE MODERN – WHY WE PLAY is the first feature-length documentary about one of the world’s leading ensembles for contemporary music.
The film offers an intimate look at the work of Ensemble Modern and follows the musicians not only on stage but, above all, during rehearsals—where music is created.
Through focused creative processes, we hear how a shared musical language takes shape: through exploration, rejection, and renewed engagement. The focus is on works by influential composers such as Rebecca Saunders, Heiner Goebbels, and Mark Andre, as well as the perspectives of a younger generation, including Brigitta Muntendorf and Milica Djordjevic.
The film makes this process visible and tangible, while also offering insight into the artistic questions that shape contemporary music today. The result is a portrait of an ensemble as a living organism—driven by individual artistic voices, collective precision, and ongoing collaboration with conductors such as Ingo Metzmacher and Enno Poppe.