2010 IFMCA Nominees for Scoring Excellence Announced

IFMCA announces its 2010 nominees for scoring excellence
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ALEXANDRE DESPLAT RECEIVES 7 INTERNATIONAL FILM MUSIC CRITICS’ 2010 AWARD NOMINATIONS, INCLUDING TWO FOR FILM SCORE OF THE YEAR

FEBRUARY 11, 2011 – The International Film Music Critics Association announces its list of nominations for excellence in musical scoring in 2010, with French composer Alexandre Desplat leading the field with 7 nods including THE KING’S SPEECH (3 nominations) and THE GHOST WRITER (4 nominations) for Film Score of the Year. Also nominated in this category are John Powell’s HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (5 nominations), Daft Punk’s score to TRON: LEGACY (3 nominations) and Hans Zimmer’s INCEPTION (3 nominations).

Desplat, who also wrote the nominated score to HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 1, is short-listed for Composer of the Year along with John Powell (HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON); James Newton Howard (SALT, THE LAST AIRBENDER, NANNY MCPHEE RETURNS); Danny Elfman (ALICE IN WONDERLAND) and Hans Zimmer (INCEPTION).

Breakout Composer of the Year nominees include Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter, better known as the French electronic/dance duo Daft Punk, for TRON: LEGACY; Spanish composer Oscar Araujo for the video game CASTLEVANIA: LORDS OF SHADOW; Spanish composer Arnau Bataller for the mystery film LA HERENCIA VALDEMAR; German composer Herbert Grönemeyer for the George Clooney drama THE AMERICAN; and Portuguese composer Nuno Malo for AMÁLIA, about Portuguese fado singer Amália Rodrigues.

New this year is Best Archival Release category, which combines previous categories that celebrated the current renaissance of older movie scores being released either for the first time, as a re-release or as a re-recording. With so many worthy choices, the new category has been expanded to 10 nominees, which this year includes the 6-disc, premiere release of Alex North’s score to Stanley Kubrick’s SPARTACUS, two never-released John Williams scores (BLACK SUNDAY and FAMILY PLOT) and re-recordings of scores as diverse as Dimitri Tiomkin’s THE ALAMO and Basil Poledouris’ CONAN THE BARBARIAN among other impressive releases.

The International Film Music Critics will announce the winners of its Seventh Annual Awards on February 25, 2011.

2010 Film Categories

FILM SCORE OF THE YEAR

• THE GHOST WRITER, music by Alexandre Desplat
• HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, music by John Powell
• INCEPTION, music by Hans Zimmer
• THE KING’S SPEECH, music by Alexandre Desplat
• TRON: LEGACY, music by Daft Punk

FILM COMPOSER OF THE YEAR

• Alexandre Desplat
• Danny Elfman
• James Newton Howard
• John Powell
• Hans Zimmer

BREAKOUT COMPOSER OF THE YEAR

• Óscar Araujo
• Arnau Bataller
• Daft Punk
• Herbert Grönemeyer
• Nuno Malo

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A DRAMA FILM

• AMÁLIA, music by Nuno Malo
• BLACK SWAN, music by Clint Mansell
• THE KARATE KID, music by James Horner
• THE KING’S SPEECH, music by Alexandre Desplat
• TRUE GRIT, music by Carter Burwell

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A COMEDY FILM

• THE LIGHTKEEPERS, music by Pinar Toprak
• LO, music by Scott Glasgow
• NANNY MCPHEE RETURNS, music by James Newton Howard
• POTICHE, music by Philippe Rombi
• VAMPIRES SUCK, music by Christopher Lennertz

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR AN ACTION/ADVENTURE/THRILLER FILM

• BURIED, music by Víctor Reyes
• THE GHOST WRITER, music by Alexandre Desplat
• INCEPTION, music by Hans Zimmer
• ROBIN HOOD, music by Marc Streitenfeld
• SALT, music by James Newton Howard

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A FANTASY/SCIENCE FICTION/HORROR FILM

• ALICE IN WONDERLAND, music by Danny Elfman
• DAYBREAKERS, music by Christopher Gordon
• HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART I, music by Alexandre Desplat
• THE LAST AIRBENDER, music by James Newton Howard
• TRON: LEGACY, music by Daft Punk

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR AN ANIMATED FEATURE

• HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, music by John Powell
• L’ILLUSIONNISTE [THE ILLUSIONIST], music by Sylvain Chomet
• LEGEND OF THE GUARDIANS: THE OWLS OF GA’HOOLE, music by David Hirschfelder
• TANGLED, music by Alan Menken
• TOY STORY 3, music by Randy Newman

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

• THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN, music by Miguel d’Oliveira
• BÉBÉS [BABIES], music by Bruno Coulais
• OCÉANS, music by Bruno Coulais
• WAITING FOR ‘SUPERMAN,’ music by Christophe Beck
• THE WILDEST DREAM: CONQUEST OF EVEREST, music by Joel Douek

FILM MUSIC COMPOSITION OF THE YEAR

• ALICE IN WONDERLAND – “Alice’s Theme” (Danny Elfman)
• THE GHOST WRITER – “The Truth About Ruth” (Alexandre Desplat)
• HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON – “Forbidden Friendship” (John Powell)
• HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON – “Test Drive” (John Powell)
• THE LAST AIRBENDER – “Flow Like Water” (James Newton Howard)

Other 2010 Categories

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A TELEVISION SERIES

• CZAS HONORU [TIME OF HONOR], music by Bartosz Chajdecki
• DOCTOR WHO, music by Murray Gold
• HUMAN TARGET, music by Bear McCreary
• LOST, music by Michael Giacchino
• ULL PER ULL [AN EYE FOR AN EYE], music by Marc Vaíllo

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A VIDEO GAME OR INTERACTIVE MEDIA

• CASTLEVANIA: LORDS OF SHADOW, music by Óscar Araujo
• DARK VOID, music by Bear McCreary
• JAMES BOND 007: BLOOD STONE, music by Richard Jacques
• LEGEND OF THE GUARDIANS: THE OWLS OF GA’HOOLE, music by Winifred Phillips
• LEGO UNIVERSE, music by Brian Tyler

BEST ARCHIVAL RELEASE OF AN EXISTING SCORE

• THE ALAMO, music by Dimitri Tiomkin (Tadlow/Prometheus) – Conductor: Nic Raine; Album Producers: James Fitzpatrick, Luc Van de Ven; Liner Notes: Frank K. DeWald; Album Art Direction: GINKO DIGI
• BATMAN RETURNS, music by Danny Elfman (La-La Land) – Album Producers: Neil S. Bulk, Dan Goldwasser, MV Gerhard, Matt Verboys; Liner Notes: John Takis; Album Art Direction: David C. Fein
• BLACK SUNDAY, music by John Williams (Film Score Monthly) – Album Producers: Lukas Kendall, Mike Matessino; Liner Notes: Scott Bettencourt, Mike Matessino, Jeff Eldridge, Al Kaplan; Album Art Direction: Joe Sikoryak
• CONAN THE BARBARIAN, music by Basil Poledouris (Tadlow/Prometheus) – Conductor: Nic Raine; Album Producer: James Fitzpatrick; Liner Notes: Frank K. DeWald; Album Art Direction: GINKO DIGI
• FAMILY PLOT, music by John Williams (Varèse Sarabande) – Album Producers: Robert Townson, Mike Matessino; Liner Notes: Mike Matessino
• THE GOONIES, music by Dave Grusin (Varèse Sarabande) – Album Producers: Robert Townson, Mike Matessino; Liner Notes: Mike Matessino; Album Art Direction: John Alvin, Drew Struzan
• INDEPENDENCE DAY, music by David Arnold ( La-La Land ) – Album Producers: Nick Redman, Mike Matessino, Didier C. Deutsch, MV Gerhard, Matt Verboys; Liner Notes: Dan Goldwasser; Album Art Direction: Mark Banning
• LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, music by Maurice Jarre (Tadlow) – Conductor: Nic Raine; Album Producer: James Fitzpatrick; Liner Notes: Frank K. DeWald
• MIKLÓS RÓZSA TREASURY, music by Miklós Rózsa (Film Score Monthly) – Album Producer: Lukas Kendall; Liner Notes: Lukas Kendall, Al Kaplan, Frank K. DeWald, John Fitzpatrick; Album Art Direction: Joe Sikoryak
• SPARTACUS, music by Alex North (Varèse Sarabande) – Album Producer: Robert Townson; Liner Notes: Robert Townson; Album Art Direction: Robert Townson, Matthew Joseph Peak, Bill Pitzonka

FILM MUSIC RECORD LABEL OF THE YEAR

• Film Score Monthly
• Intrada
• La-La Land
• MovieScore Media
• Varèse Sarabande


The International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA) is an association of online, print and radio journalists who specialize in writing about original film and television music.

The IFMCA was originally formed in the late 1990s as the now-defunct “Film Music Critics Jury” by editor and journalist Mikael Carlsson, a former contributor to filmmusicradio.com and filmmusicmag.com, and currently the owner of the Swedish independent film music label MovieScore Media.

Since its inception, the IFMCA has grown to comprise over 50 members from countries as diverse as Australia, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.
Previous IFMCA Score of the Year Awards have been awarded to Michael Giacchino’s UP in 2009, Alexandre Desplat’s THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON in 2008, Dario Marianelli’s ATONEMENT in 2007, James Newton Howard’s LADY IN THE WATER in 2006, John Williams’ MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA in 2005 and Michael Giacchino’s THE INCREDIBLES in 2004.

For more information about the International Film Music Critics Association, its members and the list of past awards, please visit http://www.filmmusiccritics.org or contact press@filmmusiccritics.org.