A yearly highlight, the World Soundtrack Awards are Film Fest Gent prestigious film music prizes honouring excellence in composing for screen. The 24th edition proves to be an enchanting night full of captivating performances and esteemed guests, including French film composer, pianist, and conductor Philippe Rombi, renowned for his enduring partnership with director François Ozon (Swimming Pool, Jeune et jolie, Potiche). Recognised with multiple César nominations, Rombi always finds an intricate balance between intimism, lyricism and fantasy.
This year's recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award is American composer Elliot Goldenthal, known for his scores for Interview with the Vampire, Heat, Public Enemies, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, and Batman Forever, amongst others. Goldenthal has captivated audiences and critics for over four decades now with his special blend of orchestral, jazz, rock and electronic music. A combination that has been celebrated at the Oscars, Golden Globes, and WSAwards. He has also scored films by his partner Julie Taymor. Their work on Titus (1999) and the Oscar-winning Frida (2002) brought Goldenthal to Ghent twice before.
Joining the line-up is Simon Franglen, winner of the 2023 Discovery of the Year Award with his score for Avatar: The Way of Water. A longtime colleague and friend of the late Academy Award winner James Horner, Franglen assisted on several of Horner's scores, including Titanic (1997), Avatar (2009), The Karate Kid (2010), and The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) until he followed in his mentor's footsteps by composing the score for the sequel to James Cameron 2009 3D-blockbuster.
Besides featuring live performances by Brussels Philharmonic, conducted by maestro Dirk Brossé, of compositions by Rombi, Goldenthal and Franglen, the WSA Ceremony & Concert presents awards in the following categories: Film Composer of the Year, Television Composer of the Year, Best Original Song, Discovery of the Year, Best Original Score for a Belgian Production, Sabam Award for Best Original Composition by a Young Composer, Public Choice Award, and Game Music Award.