IN FOCUS WSA 2021 NOMINEES
The high notes This year, the WSA has opened four of its competition categories to documentary composers, and the nominees are a truly eclectic group. Nikki Baughan profiles the musicians in the running
Since it was established in this
award
has
rec-
ognised the craft of scoring for high-end TV. Last year’s winner
was Nicholas Britell for Succes-
sion; he is nominated again
6
this year for The Underground
Railroad and, alongside his fellow composers, for best origi-
nal song for Cruella’s ‘Call Me Cruella’.
Christophe Beck (Canada) WandaVision
Prolific Canadian composer Beck has created scores for films including Free Guy, Ant-Man and Frozen, and TV shows including Buffy The Vampire Slayer. He is nominated here for his WandaVision score, which also has a Primetime Emmy nomination. Nicholas Britell (US)
The Underground Railroad
composer judged to have created the best film music in the last year, for feature or documentary, either as
an individual score or a body of work. Last year’s winner
was Hildur Gudnadottir for Joker.
The Mandalorian
Natalie Holt (UK) Loki
National Film and Television School-trained UK composer Holt has provided music for films including Pin Cushion and Journey’s End (which she co-scored with Hildur Gudnadottir) and TV shows such as Victoria (for which she was nominated, along with her co-composers, for a Primetime Emmy), Wallander and Deadwater Fell. She is nominated here for her score for Disney+’s Loki. Carlos Rafael Rivera (US)
Hacks (season one); The Queen’s Gambit
Rivera’s score for Netflix hit The Queen’s Gambit secured him a Primetime Emmy nomination this year. It now joins his work on the first season of HBO Max drama Hacks to see him in the running for WSA TV composer of the year.
Emile Mosseri (US) Kajillionaire; Minari
US composer Mosseri received an Oscar nomination for Lee Isaac Chung’s Minari, which is also recognised here alongside his work on Miranda July’s heist comedy Kajillionaire.
Nainita Desai (UK)
American Murder: The Family Next Door; Persona: The Dark Truth Behind Personality Tests; The Reason I Jump
Documentary composer Desai (who scored the Oscar-nominated For Sama) is recognised for her work on a trio of non-fiction films, including Jerry Rothwell’s Sundance audience award winner The Reason I Jump. Desai is also nominated in the discovery of the year and public choice categories.
Daniel Pemberton (UK)
Enola Holmes; Rising Phoenix; The Trial Of The Chicago 7
Winner of the 2014 discovery of the year award, Pemberton’s score for Aaron Sorkin’s The Trial Of The Chicago 7 was nominated for an Oscar. It joins an impressive recent body of work, which has secured him a third WSA film composer of the year nomination.
James Newton Howard (US)
News Of The World; Raya And The Last Dragon
Having previously won the category in 2008 — when he was recognised for Charlie Wilson’s War, Michael Clayton and I Am Legend — Howard is this year nominated for his scores on two very different films: Paul Greengrass’s western News Of The
October 2021 | Screen International | screendaily.com
Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross & Jon Batiste (US) Soul
Nominated last year in the best TV composer category for their work on HBO’s Watchmen, Reznor and Ross now join Batiste in a nomination for their Oscar-winning soundtrack for Pixar’s Soul.
Neil Grabowsky/Montclair Film
Britell — a WSA discovery of the year in 2017 — was Oscar-nominated for his scores for Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight and If Beale Street Could Talk, the latter of which combined with Vice to win him WSA film composer of the year in 2019. He is nominated here for his work on Jenkins’ The Underground Railroad, after winning last year for season two of Succession.
Göransson’s collaborative relationship with director Ryan Coogler has resulted in scores for Fruitvale Station, Creed and Black Panther, for which the Swedish composer won an Oscar and a Grammy. After previously scoring features such as Christopher Nolan’s Tenet and TV shows including comedy New Girl, he is nominated here for his work on season two of Disney+’s The Mandalorian.
World and Don Hall’s Disney animation Raya And The Last Dragon.
This award is given to the
Ludwig Göransson (Sweden)
TV composer of the year 2016,
Film composer of the year
