The International Music Competition section showcases global feature films that use music as a universal language, exploring diverse cinematic approaches.

This year’s lineup features seven outstanding works: Agnès Jaoui’s Crescendo, exploring the #MeToo movement in opera; Aly Muritiba’s Funk, following a Rio favela youth striving to become the "Queen of Funk"; Maja Holand’s Hex, tracking three self-proclaimed witches defying patriarchal music through black metal; Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel’s The Loneliest Man in Town, portraying an Austrian blues musician clinging to vinyl records amid urban change; Ryan Booth’s Stages, a road movie about a musician seeking a fresh start; Aidan Zamiri’s The Moment, a mockumentary debut film of pop icon Charlie xcx to expose the dark side of stardom; and Shao Bing’s Unbound Voices, where a teacher and her students in a remote Chinese village confront prejudice through music.