Every year the World Soundtracks Awards are held in Ghent, Belgium, during “Film Fest Gent”. These awards are considered very important in the film music industry. The award ceremony was held during the World Soundtrack Awards Gala on October 21, 2023. We were present during this celebration and will write a report about it, together with the other events, in the future. In the meantime, you can find the overview of nominees for all the awards below, with the winners marked in bold.
Film Composer of the Year
- Volker Bertelmann – Krigsseileren (War Sailor), All Quiet on the Western Front, Veden vartija (Memory of Water)
- Carter Burwell – The Banshees of Inisherin, Catherine Called Birdy, To Catch a Killer
- Alexandre Desplat – Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, The Lost King, Tirailleurs (Father & Soldier), Asteroid City, A Cooler Climate
- Hildur Guðnadóttir – Women Talking, Tár
- Daniel Pemberton – See How They Run, Enola Holmes 2, Amsterdam, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
- John Williams – The Fabelmans, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Television Composer of the Year
- Chris Bacon & Danny Elfman – Wednesday
- Nicholas Britell – Andor, Succession Season 4
- Bear McCreary – The Serpent Queen, The Witcher: Blood Origin, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
- Gustavo Santaolalla & David Fleming – The Last of Us
- Cristobal Tapia de Veer & Kim Neundorf – The White Lotus Season 2
Lifetime Achievement Award
- Nicola Piovani
- Laurence Rosenthal
Public Choice Award
- Daniel Pemberton – Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
- Amelia Warner – Mr. Malcolm’s List
- Michelino Bisceglia – My Sailor, My Love
- Fabrizio Mancinelli – The Land of Dreams
- Mark Smythe – The Reef: Stalked
WSA Game Music Award
- River Boy aka Narayana Johnson – Cult of the Lamb
- Maclaine Diemer – Firmament
- Nainita Desai – Immortality
- Gareth Coker, Grant Kirkhope and Yoko Shimomura – Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope
- Gregory Nicolett – Potionomics
Discovery of the Year
- Dascha Dauenhauer – Golda
- Simon Franglen – Avatar: The Way of Water
- RADWIMPS, Kazuma Jinnouchi – Suzume
- Herdís Stefánsdóttir – Knock at the Cabin
- Colin Stetson – The Menu
SABAM Award for the Most Original Composition by a Young International Composer
- Emma Kélalèche
- Emile Cooper Leplay
- Alec Sievern
Best Original Score for a Belgian Production
- Valentin Hadjadj – Close
- Dirk Brossé – Onze Natuur
- Hannes De Maeyer – Rebel
Best Original Song
- “Carolina” from Where the Crawdads Sing – written & performed by Taylor Swift
- “Ciao Papa” from Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio – written by Alexandre Desplat, Guillermo del Toro, Roeban Katz, performed by Alexandre Desplat, Dominique “Solrey” Lemonnier, Gregory Mann
- “Keep Rising” from The Woman King – written by Jessy Wilson, Jeremy Lutito, Angélique Kidjo, performed by Jessy Wilson, Angélique Kidjo
- “Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – written by Temilade Openiyi, Robyn Fenty, Ludwig Göransson and Ryan Coogler, performed by Rihanna
- “Your Personal Trash Man Can” from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Season 5 – written by Thomas Mizer, Curtis Moore, performed by The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Cast
Congratulations to all the winners and the other nominees who can be proud of their nominations.
