We breathe every second of our lives without thinking about it. And yet it is so difficult to remember. By Judith Geffert for THE ECCO (2025) Judith Geffert is a radio documentary maker from Magdeburg, now based in Berlin. In their work, they like to explore the thin lines between journalism, art and academia. They … Continue reading "Breathing Exercise"

A tender and complex family portrait, as a sister traces the fractures left by her brother’s experiences with mental illness. By Rislane Hakym (2024) Originally from northern France, Rislane Hakym places social issues at the heart of her practice. She has been a jury member at international festivals. With a background in audiovisual and journalism, … Continue reading "Schizophonies"

Seasons shift, as the songs of distant whales are swallowed by the fog. Henriette Rasmussen explores the brittle and tender edges of masculinity in her community. By Henriette Rasmussen for RANA / Radiophonic Narration (2009) Born in 1950, Henriette Rasmussen lived in Nuuk, Greenland. She worked at KNR (Greenlandic Broadcasting Corporation) in the 1970’s before … Continue reading "A Circle of Men"

Life and death at the Plitvice Lakes. By Čedo Prica, Zvonimir Bajsić and Maksim Jurjević for Radio Zagreb (1975) “What I do is writing with a microphone. Our lexicon is the sound material we shape. We use speech, not language. All these terms: documentary radio drama, radio feature, acoustic film—are not quite appropriate. It is, … Continue reading "Old Lika Pathetic Symphony"

Memories entangle with the trees as we wander into the forest By Marta Medvešek for Radio Slovenija (2023) Rest, peace and silence, but also sawing, creaking and crying; an elegant spruce and a beech with dense rustling leaves; harsh winters and a deer roaring in the moonlight. In the conflicting juxtaposition of safety and danger, … Continue reading "Forest Is"

Documentary recordings of laughter musically interweave in this imagined scene By Stéphane Borrel (2024) Les Anciens (The Elders) is part of a larger electroacoustic (acousmatic) work by Stéphane Borrel called Laughing Tonalities. The work uses as its essential sound material the laughter from recordings of three hundred invited participants. Stéphane writes, “The musical writing – … Continue reading "The Elders"

Dreamscapes submerged in rising water By Yevhenii Poliakov (2025) Dreams calm down our worries. We overcome extreme experiences with the flood of feelings that our mind reworks each night. During the first months of the full-scale Russian invasion, water flowed through Ukrainian dreams. Recurring rains, floods and images of the seaside from the audio archive … Continue reading "Worried Waters of the War: Ukrainian Dreamscapes of 2022"

A conversation grows from a chance encounter on a train By Mattias Wallenius (2024) “I met Lisa on a train in the summer of 2023. She sat down next to me and introduced herself (which is very uncommon on a public train in Sweden (and probably many places in the world)). I was going to … Continue reading "He Called Me His Typhoon"

A tender love story, lived in private, across five decades. By Rūta Dambravaitė and Inga Janiulytė-Temporin for LRT (2024) Vitalius and Albinas have been together for 52 years. As they grow old and Albinas’ memory slowly fades, Vitalius is tired of hiding and decides to tell their life story publicly for the first time. This … Continue reading "Coming Out"

A child plays in the snow By Joyce de Badts (2025) On a cold January day, Tirza conjures a snow ghost. Joyce de Badtsis a teacher and radio producer based in Antwerp, Belgium

Lost loved ones gather at the dinner table By Daniel Semo (2024) Karina Alanís Martínez is a cocinera tradicional(traditional cook) from the state of Michoacán in Mexico. Traditional cooks are respected members of their regional communities entrusted with passing down the culinary heritage of the local cuisine. In this documentary fragment, Karina reflects on cooking … Continue reading "Night of the Dead"

A granddaughter and grandmother talk across time. By Qing Hu (2024) ‘Have you eaten?’ is a common Chinese greeting, like asking ‘how are you?’ in English. In this short feature, Qing Hu uses the phrase to redraw a line of connection between her current home in New York and her grandmother. Qing Huis an audio … Continue reading "Have You Eaten?"

The worlds of a vermin exterminator in Paris, young people living in the city and a disturbing public declaration from a police union blur together. By Ka-Young Park and Dimitris Roidis (2023) Nuisibles (Pests) is a sonic study in the process of dehumanisation. Touching on themes of police violence and systemic racism. Created by Ka-Young … Continue reading "Nuisibles"

“The whole world disappears with language…” By Hrvoje Korbar and Marija Pečnik Kvesić (2023) We easily recall the images, smells and tastes that have marked our lives, but what about the sounds? What about the voices of those who are no longer with us? What ultimately stands the test of time? An intimate acoustic work … Continue reading "The Ship Sails On"

Lingering in a dream, as a new day dawns. By Kato Vanackere (2020) A woman in her thirties struggles to get out of bed, to face herself in the mirror, and to muster the will to head to work. She’d much rather turn back and go for a swim. “Nu Dan” is a concept album … Continue reading "If I Could Choose"

A sonic conjuring By Eve-Marie Bouché (August 2022) “I discovered that I had magical powers, the powers to transform the world’s soundtrack, to make it a better place to live…” Winner of Best Short at Grand Prix Nova (2023) and Third Prize at the UK International Radio Drama festival (2023) Eve-Marie Bouché (Paris, France) At … Continue reading "The Magic of Waves"

After 72 years living in Iceland, a man visits Reykjavík for the first time in his life. By Rúnar Snær Reynisson for RÚV (2017) First created for the Rás 1 (Channel 1) summer program Sumarmál, played at the 2023 International Features Conference.

Emptiness, dust all around, everything’s in disorder… from an empty, dilapidated church Piotr speaks about the harm done to him by a priest. By agnieszka czyżewska jacquemet for Polish Radio Lublin (2021) In search of justice – awhisper can be louder than a shout; it stays in the heart and mind forever. This programme explores … Continue reading "Less and Less Soul"

An unsettling portrait of snipers in the midst of the war in Bosnia in 1992. By Stephen Schwartz for DR (19th December 1992) Familiar surroundings transform and friends and acquaintances turn into enemies. Contains content that listeners may find distressing. Sniper was the winner of the 1993 Prix Italia for Documentary. In the transcript for … Continue reading "Sniper"

An organist opens up the sound of silence. By Phoebe McIndoe and Marta Medvešek (2023) Made in 1929 to accompany silent movies, with 913 pipes and 66 registers, it was the biggest cinema organ in Germany. But the organ’s grandeur wasn’t celebrated for long. Soon after its construction, sound film took over and the Babylon’s … Continue reading "Kinoorgel Babylon"

A prelude into a world where language and magic are one. By Axel Kacoutié (2023) This was created as part of the audio artist Axel Kacoutié’s live In The Dark event – an evening of magical audio,conjuring aural visions to transport you through time, and space, returning you back to yourself and the world. It … Continue reading "A Mother Tongue (Magic Prelude)"