Oscar winner to share the stage with Elvis's composers

Guest of honour is the British composer Rachel Portman, the first female composer to win an Oscar. She received the Award in 1996 for her score for Emma. Rachel Portman has also been nominated for the scores to The Cider House Rules and Chocolat. She also composed the scores for, among others, Smoke, Ratcatcher (Georges Delerue Prize in 1999) and The Legend of Bagger Vance. At the WSA, Rachel Portman will present a selection of her best-known works. As tradition has it, the Flanders International Film Festival - Ghent will also be showcasing Belgian talent during the WSA. For example, there have been performances from, among others, Hooverphonic, Sioen and Wim Mertens. This year, it is the turn of Raymond van het Groenewoud, a permanent fixture on the music scene since the start of the 1970s. This multi-faceted composer/songwriter has written soundtracks for films such as Crazy Love, Brussels by Night and Everybody Famous. A further highlight will without doubt be the appearance of Gustavo Santaolalla, the 2004 WSA Discovery with the score for 21 Grams. His live performance is part of a tradition of inviting last year's Discovery to perform the following year. At the WSA, the Argentinean Gustavo Santaolalla will not only perform his widely acclaimed score for 21 Grams, but also his soundtrack for The Motorcycle Diaries, Amores Perros and Brokeback Mountain, the latest Ang Lee film. Additionally, living legends Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller will be extensively honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller are the most important songwriters and producers from the early years of rock & roll. For example, they wrote about a dozen worldwide hits for (among others) Elvis Presley, and they also composed the music for a number of his films. Numbers like Stand By Me and Hound Dog are still used today in films such as Forrest Gump, Chocolat, A Few Good Men and Grease. On October 15, the 2005 World Soundtrack Awards will naturally also be presented: Best Original Song Written for a Film 2005, Best Soundtrack Composer of the Year 2005, Best Original Soundtrack of the Year 2005 and 2005 Discovery of the Year. Also to be awarded is the 2005 Public Choice Award for best score, a prize which is awarded according to the votes of the (international) public. Finally, the winner of the 4th Composing Competition for young Belgian film composers will be announced at the WSA. The 5th World Soundtrack Awards will take place on Saturday, October 15 in City Concert Hall 'De Bijloke'. The Flemish Radio Orchestra will be conducted by Dirk Brossé and the guest composers. The World Soundtrack Awards are organised by the Flanders International Film Festival - Ghent. Concert partners are SABAM and the Province of East Flanders. For tickets please contact the festival: daniella.dedecker@filmfestival.be. Tickets cost € 40.00 and € 32.00. Book quickly, because places are limited.