News at SoundtrackCollector
Richard Kraft's Finding Kraftland
18-Jun-2007 -

Film music agent to attend two Spanish Film Music Festivals Finding Kraftland to screen in Madrid and Ubeda.

Richard Kraft is the founder of Kraft-Engel Management, one of the world's leading agencies specializing in representing film and theatre composers. Together with his partner, Laura Engel, they represent such clients as Angelo Badalamenti, John Barry, Christophe Beck, Jon Brion, Alexandre Desplat, DeVotchKa, Danny Elfman, Philip Glass, David Kitay, Wojciech Kilar, Maurice Jarre, Jan Kaczmarek, Deborah Lurie, Alan Menken, Javaier Navarrete, John Ottman, Rachel Portman, John Powell, Trevor Rabin, Graeme Revell, Marc Shaiman, Ed Shearmur, Alex Wurman and Aaron Zigman.

Three of this year's five Oscar nominees for Best Score (The Queen, Notes On A Scandal and Pan's Labyrinth) were composed by Kraft-Engel clients.

Kraft will be screening his award-winning feature documentary, Finding Kraftland at both festivals.  This off-beat autobiographical film is about Kraft as he drags his son Nicky through an obsessive quest to recapture his own childhood through a globetrotting trek riding hundreds of roller coasters, collecting thousands of toys and transforming their home into "Kraftland," a shrine to Disneyland and American Consumer Culture. A love story between father and son emerges via an almost maniacal pursuit of happiness.

Finding Kraftland was written and directed by Richard Kraft and Adam Shell and features interviews with such composers as Christophe Beck, Jon Brion, Danny Elfman, Alan Menken, John Ottman, Trevor Rabin, Graeme Revell and Marc Shaiman. It is hosted by Stacey J. Aswad.

The film captures a life filled with huge and cartoonish contrasts. It delves into the psyche of collecting as an obsession. And ultimately, in its own strange way, it is about finding the real meaning of family. For more information: www.findingkraftland.com/

Nicky Kraft, the co-star of FINDING KRAFTLAND will also be attending both festivals. 17 Year-old Nicky Kraft is about to become a senior at Canby High School outside of Portland, Oregon. He lives with his mother and stepfather in a log cabin raising chickens 2/3rds of the year. He spends the rest of his time traveling around the world with his Hollywood agent father. He has ridden over 425 roller coasters in more than a dozen countries. He has experienced weightlessness in a Zero Gravity flight. An honor roll student, he also plays bass and piano, composes music for internet sites and is on his school's snowboard team.

Finding Kraftland screens with Spanish subtitles on at the Soncinemad festival on Sunday, July 1, 2007 following a concert by Alan Silvestri.  Other guests of the festival include David Shire and Christopher Young For more info: www.soncinemad.com

KRAFTLAND will also screen with subtitles at the International Film Music Conference in Ubeda which runs from July 19-22, 2007.  Other guests of the festival include David Arnold, Bruce Broughton, John Debney, Javier Navarrete, John Powell, Robert Townson and Kraft's business partner, Laura Engel. For more information:  www.congreso.bsospirit.com

Prior to starting his own company in 1991, Richard was an agent at ICM and started his career working with several of his musical heroes such as Jerry Goldsmith, Elmer Bernstein and Henry Mancini. Kraft has also as executive produced over 150 soundtrack albums, including ALIENS, BLUE VELVET, HEATHERS, PEE WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE, PEGGY SUE GOT MARRIED, WALL STREET, CROCODILE DUNDEE, and THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS. As a writer, Kraft wrote the unproduced screenplay to the animated musical PEPITA for Warner Bros.. He has also conceived and set up projects at Disney, Sony and MGM. Kraft is heavily involved in fundraising for Crohn's Disease. He was the honoree of the annual CCFA Foundation of America.

Scores composed by Kraft-Engel clients include SPIDER-MAN, SHREK, ALADDIN, DANCES WITH WOLVES, HAPPY FEET, THE BOURNE SUPREMACY, BATMAN, CHICAGO, THE HOURS, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE, CHOCOLAT, REMEMBER THE TITANS, MARCH OF THE PENGUINS, UNITED 93, CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, POCAHONTAS, SUPERMAN RETURNS, SIN CITY, A FEW GOOD MEN, SYRIANA, THE BREAK-UP, THE USUAL SUSPECTS, NATIONAL TREASURE, THE FANTASTIC FOUR, MEN IN BLACK, TWIN PEAKS, OUT OF AFRICA, THE LITTLE MERMAID, CITY SLICKERS, LARA CROFT: TOMB RAIDER, CHARLIE'S ANGELES, BEETLEJUICE, SOUTH PARK, FINDING NEVERLAND, BAD SANTA, WITNESS, THE ADDAMS FAMILY, MAGNOLIA, WHEN HARRY MET SALLY, EMMA, THE TRUMAN SHOW, CLUELESS, THE NOTEBOOK, IL POSTINO, BOOGIE NIGHTS, THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS, EDWARD SCISSORHANDS, SISTER ACT and SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE. Their clients have written the songs for such Broadway hits as HAIRSPRAY, LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, A CHORUS LINE, CITY OF ANGELS, AVENUE Q, MARY POPPINS and BEAUTY AND THE BEAST.



All News Items 
New Site Features