Snowstar Records

A beautiful and intimate soundtrack for the new short film by Charlie Kaufman

HOW TO SHOOT A GHOST
Ella van der Woude created the intimate soundtrack for How to Shoot a Ghost — the new short film by director Charlie Kaufman (director of Synecdoche, New York, writer of Being John Malkovich, and Oscar winner for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind).

Ella van der Woude: “When the producers reached out about scoring a short film directed by Charlie Kaufman, I honestly assumed it was someone starting out who simply shared his name. I didn’t know he had directed another short before this one, and the whole situation felt too unlikely to be real.”

Charlie Kaufman: “We were fortunate that she agreed to work with us. We needed a score that could move nimbly through all the various moods and still maintain an emotional throughline. Ella worked creatively and tirelessly with us to find so many beautiful and soulful solutions. Her extraordinary score, so integral to our film, is a work of art in its own right.”

How to Shoot a Ghost was performed by Alistair Sung (cello), Hristo Goleminov (saxophone), Brent Arnold (cello), and Ella van der Woude (piano, synthesizer). The film premiered at the 2025 Venice Film Festival, starring Jessie Buckley (Oscar nominee for Best Actress for her role in Hamnet) and Josef Akiki. Both of their voices can be heard on the movie soundtrack, which will be released on 27 February 2026 on vinyl and streaming. A release and premiere event will take place at EYE on March 10.

ELLA VAN DER WOUDE
Ella van der Woude is an award-winning Swiss-Dutch film composer. Her work includes the drama Armand (2024) by Halfdan Ullman Tøndel, the psychological thriller Instinct (2019) by Halina Reijn, and the road movie Take Me Somewhere Nice (2019) by Ena Sendijarević. In 2020, she released her album Solo Piano on Snowstar Records.

In 2022, Ella became the first female film composer to win a Golden Calf for Nico van den Brink’s horror film Moloch (2022). In 2025, she won her second Golden Calf for her score for Jan-Willem van Ewijk’s family drama Alpha (2024), and remains the only female composer to have received a Golden Calf. With the soundtrack for Armand, she won the Prix de la meilleure création sonore at Cannes together with sound designer Mats Lid Støten.

Listen to How to Shoot a Ghost on all streaming platforms
or get the record on Vinyl, or high-quality download at the Snowstar Webshop

Is Beauty Enough? is the first single from the soundtrack of the new short film by Charlie Kaufman

HOW TO SHOOT A GHOST
Ella van der Woude composed the intimate soundtrack for How to Shoot a Ghost — the new short film by director Charlie Kaufman (director of Synecdoche, New York, writer of Being John Malkovich and Oscar winner for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind).

Ella van der Woude: “Charlie and Eva H.D. (writer) encouraged me to create something far more propulsive and illustrative than what I would naturally write. That’s something I really appreciate about film scoring: you end up making music that still sounds like you, yet takes you somewhere you wouldn’t have reached on your own. The film is full of beauty – an intimate connection to the material world and, ultimately, a graceful farewell to it. The music aims to evoke these emotions in the viewer.”

How to Shoot a Ghost premiered at the 2025 Venice Film Festival, starring Jessie Buckley (Oscar nominee for Best Actress for her role in Hamnet) and Josef Akiki. Both of their voices can be heard on the movie soundtrack, which will be released on 27 February 2026 on vinyl and streaming.

ELLA VAN DER WOUDE
Ella van der Woude is an award-winning Swiss-Dutch film composer. Her work includes the drama Armand (2024) by Halfdan Ullman Tøndel, the psychological thriller Instinct (2019) by Halina Reijn, and the road movie Take Me Somewhere Nice (2019) by Ena Sendijarević. In 2020, she released her album Solo Piano on Snowstar Records.

In 2022, Ella became the first female film composer to win a Golden Calf for Nico van den Brink’s horror film Moloch (2022). In 2025, she won her second Golden Calf for her score for Jan-Willem van Ewijk’s family drama Alpha (2024), and remains the only female composer to have received a Golden Calf. With the soundtrack for Armand, she won the Prix de la meilleure création sonore at Cannes together with sound designer Mats Lid Støten.

Listen to Is Beauty Enough? on all streaming platforms
Or pre-order the Vinyl record at the Snowstar Webshop
Watch the Official Music Video

Fifteen years ago, I Am Oak released his debut album On Claws — a quiet, timeless record that set the tone for everything that followed. To celebrate this milestone, we’re looking back and giving fans the chance to (re)discover his music at a very special price.

For a limited time, you can get:

CDs for just €5
Vinyl for only €15

This anniversary discount applies to five essential I Am Oak albums:

- Our Blood
- Ols Songd
- Nowhere or Tammensaari
- Oasem
- On Claws

Head over to our webshop or bandcamp to complete your collection and celebrate On Claws with us.

Time Drifts is the first new I am Oak album since Osmosis (2019).

After experiencing a creative slump during COVID, Thijs Kuijken – better known as I am Oak – gradually rediscovered the joy and comfort of making music. His period of silence inspired a more introspective approach to songwriting, weaving themes of observation, shifting perspectives, and the passage of time into his songs. The result is the album Time Drifts, released today.

Thijs Kuijken: "After finishing about half of the songs on the album, I realized there was a pattern in my writing: one of observation. I was writing about things I had experienced as an observer or spectator, as if I were watching events unfold from a safe distance. A global pandemic, several deaths in the family, social and political unrest, war—so many things that you have no direct control over. Yet, they still affect you. You can reflect on them, but you can’t change them, so you have to let them happen. The world keeps turning. Time keeps drifting."

The release of Time Drifts will be celebrated with a club tour across Dutch music venues.

April 12 – RSD, Broese, Utrecht
April 12 – RSD, IORR, Epe
April 12 – RSD, Plato, Apeldoorn
April 24 – EKKO, Utrecht
May 23 – Der Aa-Theater, Groningen
May 24 – Hedon, Zwolle
May 25 – Mezz, Breda

Listen to Time Drifts on all streaming platforms,
or get the record on Vinyl, CD, or high-quality download at the Snowstar Webshop

To mark the release of the new I am Oak album Time Drifts, frontman Thijs has designed a limited edition tote bag. As a small thank-you, we’re including one with every pre-order—just a little something to carry your records, books, or whatever else you like.

They’re available while supplies last.

Pre-Order Time Drifts on CD & Vinyl