The 7th edition of the World Soundtrack Awards on the 20th of October 2007 promised to be the event of the year for film music lovers. The world's best composers of film music travelled to Ghent to attend the World Soundtrack Awards Ceremony & Concert. The music of Mychael Danna, Harry Gregson-Williams, Mikis Theodorakis and Jef Neve took center stage.
Since the Gent Film Festival established the World Soundtrack Awards and Academy in 2001, the event has become the annual highlight for film music lovers. Starting this year, the ceremony and related concert served as the official closing event of the 34th edition of the Gent Film Festival.
During the seventh edition of the World Soundtrack Awards, the Flemish Radio Orchestra, conducted by Dirk Brossé, performed music by Mychael Danna (Little Miss Sunshine, Capote, Monsoon Wedding, The Ice Storm), Harry Gregson-Williams (Shrek, Man of Fire, Chronicles of Narnia) and Greek composer Evanthia Reboutsika (My Father & My Son) who won last year's WSA Discovery of the Year Award. All composers were present in Ghent. The 82-year-old Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis received a World Soundtrack Lifetime Achievement Award, and as a tribute the Flemish Radio Orchestra played music from Zorba The Greek (1964) and Z (1969).
As is our annual custom, a Belgian also took the stage at the World Soundtrack Awards ceremony. This year, jazz musician Jef Neve, who immediately achieved great acclaim with his first film score for Dagen zonder lief (2007) by Felix van Groeningen, took that honor. New Belgian film music talent is also given a forum through the annual composition competition for young composers. They were challenged to compose music to a montage of Wim Robberechts' film Belgium, The Movie. The Flemish Radio Orchestra performed the winning score live for an international audience.