Daniel Pemberton and Carlos Rafael Rivera win top prizes at 21st World Soundtrack Awards
© Tristan BejawnFilm Composer of the Year
The 48th edition of Film Fest Ghent ended, as is tradition, with the World Soundtrack Awards, one of the most important international prizes for film music. The Film Composer of the Year Award went to the composer Daniel Pemberton, who was nominated for his work on Rising Phoenix, Enola Holmes and The Trial of the Chicago 7. Daniel Pemberton is no stranger to the WSA; in 2014, he won the WSA Discovery of the Year Award and has been nominated twice before in the Film Composer of the Year category.
Television Composer of the Year
Carlos Rafael Rivera won over the WSAcademy with his compositions for The Queen’s Gambit and Hacks (Season 1) and took home the Television Composer of the Year Award. This is the first time that Carlos Rafael Rivera has been honoured at the World Soundtrack Awards.
Best Original Song
There were six songs in the running this year in the Best Original Song category and the award went to “Call me Cruella” from Disney’s Cruella. The song was written by Nicholas Britell, Florence Welch, Steph Jones, Jordan Powers and Taura Stinson.
Discovery of the Year
With nominations in three different categories, Nainita Desai was one of the stars of this 21st edition of the World Soundtrack Awards, with the WSAcademy also allowing scores for documentary films in the film score categories for the first time this year. Nainita Desai became Discovery of the Year with her score for the documentary film The Reason I Jump.
Public Choice Award
The Public Choice Award went to the score of SAS: Red Notice (SAS: Rise of the Black Swan) composed by Benji Merrison. The score was well received by the audience and garnered the largest number of votes from film fans.
© Hugo SiclierSabam Award for Best Original Composition by a Young Composer
The British visual arts composer and sound designer Dougal Kemp received the Sabam Award for Best Original Composition by a Young Composer. He convinced the jury with the score he wrote for a scene from Nanook of the North, the silent documentary film from 1922 by Robert J. Flaherty.
© Pepi LoulakakiLifetime Achievement Award
During the World Soundtrack Award Ceremony & Concert in the Opera of Ghent the oeuvre of the Greek composer Eleni Karaindrou took centre stage. She performed on piano together with the Brussels Philharmonic, conducted by Film Fest Ghent music director Dirk Brossé. During the ceremony, Eleni Karaindrou received the Lifetime Achievement Award. She is known for her collaborations with the late Theo Angelopoulos, Greek director and master.
Overview of the winners
Film Composer of the Year
Daniel Pemberton, Enola Holmes, Rising Phoenix, The Trial of the Chicago 7
Television Composer of the Year
Carlos Rafael Rivera, Hacks (Season 1), The Queen's Gambit
Best Original Song
“Call me Cruella” from Disney’s Cruella, Nicholas Britell, Florence Welch, Steph Jones, Jordan Powers & Taura Stinson
Discovery of the Year
Nainita Desai, The Reason I Jump
Public Choice Award
SAS: Red Notice, Benji Merrison
Sabam Award for Best Original Composition by a Young Composer
Dougal Kemp
Lifetime Achievement Award
Eleni Karaindrou