The 15th World Soundtrack Awards (WSA) will be the closing event of the Film Fest Gent on October 24 in Ghent. Among the highlights will be the presentation of the Discovery of the Year Award which is aimed at encouraging emerging talent, who at the current WSA eligibility had scored no more than six theatrically released films (excluded are shorts, TV-formats & documentaries.) To qualify as an eligible score, the motion picture had to receive its world première screening between July 1, 2014 and June 30, 2015.
Many legendary and accomplished composers received the Discovery of the Year award at the beginning of their careers. Artistic director Patrick Duynslaegher stated, “If you are looking for the next generation of great composers, you just have to look at the World Soundtrack Discovery Awards where composers as Michael Giacchino, Gustavo Santaolalla, Craig Armstrong and Abel Korzeniowski were acknowledged by our Advisory Board early on in their careers.” Last year, Daniel Pemberton was discovered by the WSA Advisory Board. This year Pemberton scored The Man From U.N.C.L.E and the critically acclaimed Steve Jobs.
The nominees for Discovery of 2015
– Alex Ebert for ‘A Most Violent Year’
– Dominic Lewis for ‘Spooks: The Greater Good’
– Antonio Sanchez for ‘Birdman’
– Ben Salisbury & Geoff Barrow for ‘Ex Machina’
– Zhiyi Wang for ‘But Always’ & ‘Highway of Love
Also Hans Zimmer, Alexandre Desplat, Johann Johannsson, Patrick Doyle and John Legend are among the first nominees released by the World Soundtrack Academy for Film Composer of the Year, Best Original Score of the Year and Best Original Song Written Directly for a Film.
Film Composer of the Year
Bruno Coulais ‘Song of the Sea,’ ‘Gemma Bovary,’ ‘3 hearts’ (‘3 Coeurs’), ‘Mune le guardien de la lune,’ ‘Diary of a Chambermaid’ (‘Journal d’une femme de chambre’), ‘Fly Away Solo’
Alexandre Desplat ‘Unbroken,’ ‘The Imitation Game,’ ‘Everything Will Be Fine,’ ‘Tale of Tales’
Michael Giacchino ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,’ ‘Inside Out,’ ‘Jupiter Ascending,’ ‘Jurassic World,’ ‘Tomorrowland’
Johann Johannsson ‘The Theory of Everything,’ ‘The 11th Hour,’ ‘Sicario’
Hans Zimmer ‘Interstellar,’ ‘Chappie’
Best Original Film Score Of The Year
‘Birdman: Or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)’ by Antonio Sanchez
‘Cinderella’ by Patrick Doyle
‘The Imitation Game’ by Alexandre Desplat
‘Interstellar’ by Hans Zimmer
‘The Theory of Everything’ by Johann Johannsson
Best Original Song Written For A Film
The Apology Song from ‘The Book of Life’
Music by Gustavo Santaolalla, lyrics by Paul Williams, performed by Diego Luna
Carry Me Home from ‘Insurgent’
Music & lyrics by Joseph Trapanese & Christopher Taylor, performed by SOHN
Glory from ‘Selma’
Music & lyrics by John Legend, Common and Rhymefest performed by Common & Legend
Grateful from ‘Beyond the Lights’
Music & lyrics by Diane Warren, performed by Rita Ora
Tell Me from ‘Lost River’
Music & lyrics by Johnny Jewel, performed by Saoirse Ronan
