‘Conclave’ and ‘The Brutalist’ score wins at World Soundtrack Awards

German composer Volker Bertelmann was named Film Composer of the Year at the prestigious World Soundtrack Awards of the Ghent Film Festival on Wednesday for his work on Edward Berger’s ‘Conclave’ and James Hawes’ ‘The Amateur’. This is the second time Bertelmann has won the award, having scooped it just two years ago for his scores for “War Sailor,” “Memory of Water” and his Oscar-winning score for “All Quiet on the Western Front.”

Bertelmann was unable to attend the ceremony, but sent a video message thanking both Berger and Hawes for “giving me the opportunity to experiment.” “I recognize that it’s so nice to have directors who let you do your thing when you can push the boundaries and experiment a little more. It’s a collaborative process, but ultimately you have to find your voice.”

British composer Daniel Blumberg, who received the Oscar for best original score this year for his work on Brady Corbet’s ‘The Brutalist’, won the Discovery of the Year award. During the ceremony, which alternated with a concert by the Brussels Philharmonic conducted by Dirk Brossé, various other prizes were also awarded. Theodore Shapiro won television composer of the year for his work on “Severance,” and Clément Ducol, Camille and Jacques Audiard were others who repeated their Oscar achievements by winning best original song for “El Mal” from “Emilia Pérez.”

Shapiro thanked “Severance” as he accepted his award. “I would like to express my gratitude for working on a show that is so incredibly generous in space that music is given a real voice and character in the show. Not every project gives music that kind of space, so I would like to thank Ben Stiller for his vision on the language of this show. I am grateful to have him as a friend.”

This year marks a historic 25th edition of the World Soundtrack Awards. The event emerged from the Belgian Film Fest Ghent, which cleverly realized that it had to distinguish itself from comparable film festivals in the 1980s. The festival’s focus on film music eventually transitioned to the World Soundtrack Awards and its parent organization, the World Soundtrack Academy, in 2001.

The anniversary begged for “unique celebrations,” with the WSA choosing to honor two “absolute legends of the game”: Philip Glass (“The Hours”) and Michael Nyman (“The Piano”). The duo received Lifetime Achievement Awards and will be further honored at the festival on Thursday with a special concert entitled “Minimalism in Motion: Glass, Nyman and Beyond.” Their music will be performed live alongside the work of contemporary minimalists Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch (“All Of Us Strangers”) and Martin Phipps (“Napoleon”).

The WSA also highlighted two guests of honor: Debbie Wiseman and AR Rahman. Wiseman is one of the most prolific British and television composers of her time, with work including ‘Tom & Viv’ and ‘To Olivia and Wilde’. Meanwhile, Rahman is a two-time Oscar winner and “arguably the greatest Indian composer for the silver screen working today.” He has numerous credits in Bollywood and won the Oscar for his work on Danny Boyle’s ‘Slumdog Millionaire’.

‘Bugonia’ composer Jerskin Fendrix returned to Ghent after making history at the 2024 awards, becoming the first person ever to win both Film Composer of the Year and the Discovery of the Year Award for his work on Yorgos Lanthimos’ ‘Poor Things’. Jerskin, who also scored Lanthimos’ “Kinds of Kindness,” said from the stage before his award-winning music was played live that he is at a point where he has “no choice” but to continue working with the Greek director.

“I was writing songs before I started working with Yorgos,” he remembers of the beginning of their collaboration. “To some extent, songwriting can be very self-centered, and when you write for something like ‘Poor Things’ you have to sweep yourself off your desk. Making these scores with Yorgos, I think I’ve gained a good amount of artistic empathy. It’s been really helpful. He’s a real support. Overall, I feel very lucky.”

To mark its 25th anniversary, the WSA released a triple album, including: “Debbie Wiseman: Music for Film and Television,” featuring all-new studio recordings from the British composer behind “Edie” and “Tom and Viv”; “Craig Armstrong: Music For Film,” an expanded reissue of the first album launched by the festival in 2007; and “World Soundtrack Awards – 25th Anniversary Celebration,” a limited-edition vinyl set that brings together more than two decades of WSA history and features live recordings of memorable live and studio performances at the festival.

Full list of winners below:

Film Composer of the Year:

Volker Bertelmann – “Conclave”, “The Amateur”

Television Composer of the Year:

Theodore Shapiro – “Breakup” (Season 2)

Best Original Song:

“El Mal” from “Emilia Pérez” – written by Clément Ducol, Camille and Jacques Audiard; performed by Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón

Discovery of the year:

Daniel Blumberg – “The Brutalist”

Audience Award:

Laetitia Pansanel-Garlic – “Hola Frida”

Game Music Award:

Lorien Testard – “Chiaroscuro: Expedition 33”

Belgian Film Composer of the Year (Powered by Sabam):

Ruben De Gheselle – ‘Young hearts’, ‘There was, there was not’

Prize for the best original composition by a young composer (made possible by Vienna Synchron Stage):

Bongseop Kim

Lifetime Achievement Award:

Philip Glass and Michael Nyman