Hildur Guðnadóttir and Nicholas Britell conquer the 20th World Soundtrack Awards
Hildur Guðnadóttir once again conquers the hearts of the WSAcademy and becomes WSA Film Composer of the Year thanks to her score for Joker by Todd Phillips, for which she has already been awarded an Oscar. After being nominated for the Discovery of the Year Award in Ghent two years ago for scoring Sicario: Day of the Soldado, the acclaimed Icelandic composer returned home last year as TV Composer of the Year with her score for HBO's miniseries Chernobyl.
2019 Film Composer of the Year, Nicholas Britell, is now celebrated as the TV Composer of the Year for his original music for the second season of the HBO series Succession. The Film Composer and TV Composer of the Year for 2019 thus switch places, leaving the Academy in awe two years in a row.
The Belgian composer Hannes De Maeyer, known for his collaborations with Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, has won the WSAward for Best Original Score for a Belgian Production for his sublime score for Torpedo by Sven Huybrechts. De Maeyer's work varies from electronic soundscapes to symphonic instrumentations. He already received recognition for his musical career at the World Soundtrack Awards in 2005, when he won the Sabam Award for Best Original Composition by a Young Composer. This year this award goes to the Georgian composer Ana Kasrashvili. She is the first female composer to win this competition.
The World Soundtrack Award for Best Original Song goes to Joshuah Brian Campbell and Cynthia Erivo's song 'Stand Up' written for the slavery drama Harriet.
The WSA Discovery of the Year 2020 is Bryce Dessner, who provided the score for The Two Popes by Fernando Meirelles, starring Jonathan Pryce and Anthony Hopkins.
Moreover, audiences from around the world can cast their vote for what they consider to be the best film score of the past year. This year they chose Alfonso G. Aguilar's score for Netflix's animated feature Klaus. He receives the WSA Public Choice Award.
Lifetime Achievement Award
In addition, Gabriel Yared also received a Lifetime Achievement Award. Yared was the very first central guest of the WSA, in 2001. The internationally renowned Lebanese-French composer has lent his musical talent to great directors and is best known for his collaborations with Anthony Minghella.
Gabriel Yared: "I am thrilled and very honoured to be presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award. I have been a major supporter of the WSA since its inception 20 years ago. Over these years, I observed the WSA evolve and thrive, contributing to the launching of many young composers’ careers with the Discovery Award. As a result of the recognition and fantastic promotion received from the WSA, many of these musicians are highly prolific composers working in Hollywood today. This is a remarkable accomplishment which I personally find very important. Equally, the WSA provides opportunities for the composers to meet up with industry experts in a professional environment, paving the way for future collaborations."
And the winners are
Film Composer of the Year
Hildur Guðnadóttir, Joker
TV Composer of the Year
Nicholas Britell, Succession (season 2)
Best Original Song
“Stand Up” from Harriet, Joshuah Brian Campbell & Cynthia Erivo
Discovery of the Year
Bryce Dessner, The Two Popes
Best Original Score for a Belgian Production
Torpedo by Hannes De Maeyer
SABAM Award for Best Original Composition by a Young Composer
Ana Kasrashvili
Public Choice Award
Klaus by Alfonso G. Aguilar
Lifetime Achievement Award
Gabriel Yared
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