7 minute read
A vocal champion
IN FOCUS FILM FEST GENT
Film Fest Gent has become an essential fi xture for those working in fi lm music. Geo rey Macnab fi nds out why, and what the 2020 edition holds
Advertisement
Moonlight fi lmmaker Barry Jenkins (left) and his composer Nicholas Britell (centre) in conversation
he World Soundtrack T Awards (WSA) may be celebrating its 20th anniversary this year but Film Fest Gent, which hosts the event, has been championing lm music since the mid-1980s.
“It all started there [at the festival], at a moment when there was no attention and no appreciation for the work of the composers of lm music or the sound design of the lm,” says Marijke Vandebuerie, general manager of the festival. “Composers were glad to be invited because normally they were in the shadows. ey weren’t used to being invited to lm festivals.”
Film Fest Gent and the WSA have played a major part in pulling lm music into the spotlight. From the earliest editions of the awards, legendary composers such as Elmer Bernstein and Maurice Jarre were lured to Ghent, along with key industry gures such as Laura Engel, co-owner of powerhouse music agency Kra -Engel Management.
“What people loved about it, and still love, is that it brings [together] lm music fans and composers and professionals in the industry,” says Engel of the festival, which has been a regular xture for many of her clients including Angelo Badalamenti, Michael Abels, Gabriel Yared and Alexandre Desplat — the latter two are both honoured here this year. Engel also pays tribute to Dirk Brossé, the musical director of the WSA, who conducts the concerts. “For a lot of the composers, especially in the earlier days, it might have been the rst time they had heard their scores performed live in concert in front of a full audience with an orchestra.”
Now, composers will regularly become members of the World Soundtrack Academy, which champions lm music through cultural and educational activities. ey, and their publicists and agents, have come to see Ghent as a chance to network.
“For the longest time, it was the only peer-recognised awards [for lm music],” Chandler Poling,
Laura Engel, Kraft-Engel Management co-founder and president of Los Angeles-based White Bear PR, says of the WSA. “It was an opportunity for people in the industry, composers, agents, PR executives, who are part of the lm music family, to get together and celebrate.”
“It’s not just the awards show,” adds omas Mikusz, co-founder of White Bear. “It has panels; it brings together the lm music community. It brings the studio executives to Ghent, the agents, the publicists, the composers. For people who spend their whole year working alone in a studio, it’s a great way to exchange [ideas].”
For Shawn LeMone, senior vice president, lm and TV music/new media at the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (Ascap), the WSA points to the “deeper appreciation in Europe of lm music as an art form than we
have in America. at is evident in the concerts and the excitement and reverence from the audiences.
“[WSA] has been a very important opportunity for us to network not only with people in Europe but people, ironically, in LA where we come from,” LeMone adds. “We go to concerts together, and dinners; we have a wa e and a Belgian beer… we have experiences we can never have in LA.”
“Composers work alone,” says Engel. “ ey’re very isolated. ere aren’t many social gatherings [for them].” It makes them appreciate the conviviality of Ghent all the more.
As part of WSA’s industry programme (see boxout), established professionals meet emerging composers during a speed-dating session. Los Angeles agents and publicists have the chance to discover composers such as Joep Sporck, the Dutch talent who has written trailer music for Incredibles 2 and Dumbo. e event is well placed to bene t from a global lm industry changed by the streaming era. “We are experiencing entertainment from all over the world more easily and freely,” LeMone observes. “If you look at who is being nominated for awards, many are from outside the States. e art form is becoming truly international, which is one reason why it is so important for executives from Ascap to be [at the WSA].”
An open industry
One subject under discussion now in lm music, as elsewhere, is diversity. A high percentage of composers are still white males, a state of a airs that Ghent organisers are looking to address.
Poling and Mikusz have seats on the board of the Alliance For Women Film Composers. ey note that female composers such as Tamar-kali, who was named discovery of the year in 2018 for her Mudbound score, and Hildur Gudnadottir, who won the prize for TV composer of the year for Chernobyl in 2019, are becoming more prominent in the industry. “We see more women composers rising in the ranks and getting more visibility,” says Poling. e industry events still take place live and some will be broadcast on the festival’s streaming platform as a response to the global pandemic. e World Soundtrack Awards will livestream from the
Kinepolis Ghent, and feature a prerecorded concert with music from Desplat, Yared and Abels. “I feel I can almost speak for every composer we work with,” says Poling. “ ey cherish these moments because they work so hard on this music. To have it performed and appreciated by an audience in a concert hall is a dream come true.” Vandebuerie makes a distinction: “We are not a lm music festival; we are a lm festival that focuses on music. We are a perfect platform not only to bring the lm composers and sound designers together but to match them with the lmmakers, which is very important.” Looking to the 2021 edition, Vandebuerie and her colleagues are planning a matchmaking programme, a coproduction event with a musical slant that will bring together lmmakers who have new projects and composers ready to score them. A further goal is to extend the WSA’s reach across Africa and Asia. now in lm music, as elsewhere, e festival’s continuing success is diversity. A high percentage of can be measured against the numcomposers are still white males, a ber of lm music events that have state of a airs that Ghent organis- sprung up in its wake, be it Krakow ers are looking to address. Film Music Festival, the Hollywood
Poling and Mikusz have seats in Vienna symphonic gala concert on the board of the Alliance For or Soundtrack Cologne, a conferWomen Film Composers. ey ence for music and sound in lm, note that female composers videogames and media launched in such as Tamar-kali, who was 2004. Meanwhile, top concert halls named discovery of the year in the US and Europe now regularly Mudbound programme lm music alongside their other events. “I de nitely think [Film Fest] Gent was at the start of all that,” says Poling, “and it has spread worldwide.” ■ s
(Right) Nainita Desai will discuss writing music for documentaries and join the diversity panel Composer Ryuichi Sakamoto in Ghent; (right) Hildur Gudnadottir
Marijke Vandebuerie, Film Fest Gent
FILM FEST GENT INDUSTRY PROGRAMME
The 20th anniversary industry programme is as rich as ever. Guest of honour Gabriel Yared is holding a seminar during which he will discuss his career. There will also be a Q&A featuring Yared and fellow guest of honour Alexandre Desplat. Other confi rmed names for masterclasses and panels include composers Christian Henson, who will give a masterclass on orchestral programming, and Alfonso G Aguilar.
As Film Fest Gent places added emphasis on documentary and fi lm music, it is fi tting that Nainita Desai will discuss writing music for documentaries; For Sama, which she scored, screens at the festival. This year’s industry panel on composer diversity — with Desai confi rmed as a composer diversity — with Desai confi rmed as a participant — could not be more timely. participant — could not be more timely. Alongside France’s Festival International Alongside France’s Festival International du Film d’Aubagne and Poland’s Krakow Film du Film d’Aubagne and Poland’s Krakow Film Music Festival, Ghent is part of the InMICS Music Festival, Ghent is part of the InMICS Composers Lab, through which students Composers Lab, through which students study for a two-year international masters study for a two-year international masters degree in composition for the screen. The degree in composition for the screen. The industry programme allows students to industry programme allows students to join networking events and participate in a join networking events and participate in a showcase screening to present their work. showcase screening to present their work.
To follow the WSA livestream and fi nd out more about this year’s industry activities, visit about this year’s industry activities, visit
worldsoundtrackawards.com worldsoundtrackawards.com
Joanne Davidson/Shutterstock
