Awards ceremony to precede Yared-Bernstein film concert
GHENT (9 May 2001). The Flanders International Film Festival – Ghent is to play host to this year’s inaugural ceremony of the World Soundtrack Awards®. The 18 October ceremony will precede a film concert presenting the most memorable music from Oscar® winning composers Gabriel Yared (37,2 Le matin/Betty Blue, The English Patient, The Talented Mr. Ripley) and Elmer Bernstein (The Age of Innocence, The Magnificent Seven) who is celebrating his 50th anniversary as composer this year. Both are set to conduct the National Orchestra of Belgium which will be under musical supervision by fellow composer and conductor Dirk Brossé (Daens, TinTin – The Musical).
The World Soundtrack Awards are launched by the newly created World Soundtrack Academy, which is aimed at organizing and overseeing the educational, cultural and professional aspects of the art of film music, including the preservation of the history of the soundtrack and its worldwide promotion. The latter through the presentation of the awards as well as through the development of several other promotional initiatives.
Besides kudos for Film Composer of the Year and Discovery of the Year, awards will go to the winners in categories like Best Original Orchestral Soundtrack of the Year; Best Original Vocal Soundtrack of the Year; Best Original Soundtrack not released on an album; and Best Use of Existing Material on a Soundtrack. Lifetime Achievement Awards will go to composers who have reached a milestone in their career, while film music fans can vote for the Public Choice Award. Nominations in each category will be announced on August 15.
Voting members – recruited among film music composers and other professionals from around the world who can prove that they are actively involved in the film music sector – include Tan Dun (who won an Oscar this year for Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon), Elliot Goldenthal, Gabriel Yared, Anne Dudley, Jean-Claude Petit, Lalo Shifrin, Elia Cmiral, Rachel Portman, John Powell, Trevor Jones, David Mansfield, John Parish, Marco Werba, Mike Stoller, Toots Thielemans and many others. Film music fans are able to support the initiative by joining as non-voting club members.
The awards ceremony precedes a truly unique concert bringing together the best of both worlds: the film music of composers Gabriel Yared from France and Elmer Bernstein from the US. Venue is the historical Bijloke concert hall in Ghent. Ticket sales start 1 June – the full concert programme will be shortly available (info: www.filmfestival.be, or info@filmfestival.be).
The Flanders International Film Festival – Ghent is sponsored by the City of Ghent, the Province of Eastern Flanders, the Flemish Government and structural partners including Kinepolis Group, Canal +, Fortis Bank, the National Lottery, Orange, and many more.
The 28th Flanders International Film Festival – Ghent
will be held from 9 to 20 October 2001.
Telephone: (+32)92428060 – E-mail: info@filmfestival.be – website: www.filmfestival.be
IN CANNES: 0032-477 47 52 57 (9-20 May)