The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced the shortlists for several categories for the 97th Academy Awards, including Original Score and Original Song. The shortlisted scores and songs are listed in alphabetical order below. The nominations for the 97th Academy Awards will be announced on January 17, 2025 and the awards show will be held on March 2.
Category: Film Music News
Weekly Film Music Roundup (December 13, 2024)
Opening in theaters nationwide is the superhero movie Kraven the Hunter directed by J.C. Chandor and starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ariana DeBose, Alessandro Nivola, Fred Hechinger, Christopher Abbott and Russell Crowe. The show’s original music is composed by Benjamin Wallfisch (It, Twisters, Alien: Romulus, The Flash, Shazam!, Hidden Figures) and Evgueni Galperine & Sacha Galperine (Baby Reindeer, The Undoing, Loveless, Radioactive, Scenes from a Marriage, Wizard of Lies). Sony Classical has released a soundtrack album featuring the composers’ score today. Check out our previous article for the full album details and to learn more about the Sony Pictures release.
Also opening nationwide is the anime feature The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim directed by Kenji Kamiyama and starring Brian Cox, Gaia Wise, Miranda Otto, Yazdan Qafouri, Luke Pasqualino, Benjamin Wainwright, Lorraine Ashbourne, Shaun Dooley, Jude Akuwudike, Laurence Ubong Williams, Janine Duvitski, Bilal Hasna and Michael Wildman. Stephen Gallagher (Mystic, Puppet Killer, Conquering Cancer) has composed the film’s original music. WaterTower Music has released a soundtrack album featuring the composer’s score, an original song by Paris Paloma & more last Friday. Click here for the full album details and for more information about the movie, which is being released by Warner Bros. Pictures release.
30th Critics Choice Film Awards Nominations Announced
The Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA) has announced the film category nominations for the 30th Critics Choice Awards this morning. The film music-related categories are listed below. For a full list of nominations, click here. The awards will be given out on January 12, 2025 at the 30th Annual Critics Choice Awards ceremony at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, hosted by Chelsea Handler and will broadcast in the U.S. live on E! and will be available to stream on Peacock the next day.
82nd Golden Globe Nominations Announced
The nominations for the 82nd Golden Globe Awards were announced this morning. Here are the music-related categories and nominations:
Best Original Score:
- Conclave – Volker Bertelmann
- The Brutalist – Daniel Blumberg
- The Wild Robot – Kris Bowers
- Emilia Pérez – Clément Ducol, Camille
- Challengers – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
- Dune: Part Two – Hans Zimmer
Weekly Film Music Roundup (December 6, 2024)
Opening in theaters nationwide this weekend is the comedy Y2K co-written and directed by Kyle Mooney and starring Rachel Zegler, Jaeden Martell, Julian Dennison, Lachlan Watson, Daniel Zolghadri, Mason Gooding and The Kid Laroi. Danny Bensi & Saunder Jurriaans (Ozark, Enemy, Speak No Evil, The White Tiger, The Outsider, The Staircase, The Gift, Tokyo Vice) have composed the film’s original music. No soundtrack album has been announced. Check out our previous news article to learn more about the movie, which premiered at this year’s SXSW Film Festival and is being released by A24.
Also opening wide is the horror thriller Werewolves directed by Steven C. Miller and starring Frank Grillo, Katrina Law, James Michael Cummings, Ilfenesh Hadera and Lou Diamond Phillips. The Newton Brothers (X-Men ’97, The Haunting of Hill House, Doctor Sleep, Five Nights at Freddy’s, The Forever Purge, The Fall of the House of Usher) have composed the film’s original music. No word on a soundtrack release. Click here for more information about the movie, which is being distributed by Briarcliff Entertainment.
2025 Oscars Best Original Score Predictions
Starting today, we are publishing our predictions for the nominees in the Best Original Score category of next year’s 97th Academy Awards on the left side column of this page. The selection and ranking is based on our own experience of the scores in context of the movies, historical data, reactions of Academy music branch members and others in the film music community, the level of awards campaigning and awareness of the competing titles, and the response to the movies in other categories.
Weekly Film Music Roundup (November 29, 2024)
Opening in theaters nationwide this week is the animated sequel Moana 2 directed by Dave Derrick Jr., co-directed by Jason Hand and starring Auli’i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Gerald Faitala Ramsey, Rachel House, Alan Tudyk, Hualālai Chung, Awhimai Fraser, Temuera Morrison and Nicole Scherzinger. The film’s original score is composed by Mark Mancina (Tarzan, Twister, Speed, Bad Boys, August Rush, Brother Bear) and the movie’s original songs are written by Abigail Barlow & Emily Bear (The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical), Opetaia Foa’i and Mancina. Walt Disney Records has released two soundtrack albums featuring the songs and score over the last week. Check our previous articles for the details of both albums and to learn more about the Walt Disney Pictures release.
Opening in select theaters this week is the drama Queer directed by Luca Guadagnin and starring Daniel Craig, Drew Starkey, Henrique Zaga, Lesley Manville and Jason Schwartzman. Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross (The Social Network, Soul, Watchmen, Challengers, Gone Girl, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Bones and All) have composed the film’s original score and also contributed an original song. Warner Records has released another song inspired by the movie produced by the composers and performed by Omar Apollo last week. Click here to listen to the track and check back on this page for updates on the release of more music from the A24 release.
Weekly Film Music Roundup (November 22, 2024)
Opening in theaters nationwide this weekend is the first part of the film adaptation of the stage musical Wicked directed by Jon M. Chu and starring Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande as Glinda, Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, Bowen Yang, Ethan Slater and Keala Settle. The film’s original score is composed by John Powell (How to Train Your Dragon, The Bourne Identity, Happy Feet, Solo: A Star Wars Story) & Stephen Schwartz (The Prince of Egypt, Pocahontas). Republic Records & Verve Label Group have released a soundtrack album featuring the Schwartz-penned songs from the movie today. A separate album featuring the score will be coming out on December 6. Click here for the full album details and to learn more about the Universal Picture release and click here to check out the project’s music team credits.
Also opening wide is the historical action epic Gladiator II directed by Ridley Scott and starring Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Denzel Washington, Fred Hechinger, Lior Raz, Derek Jacobi and Connie Nielsen. Harry Gregson-Williams (The Chronicles of Narnia, The Martian, Shrek, Kingdom of Heaven, The Last Duel, The Gilded Age, Spy Game) has composed the film’s original music. Decca Records has released a soundtrack album featuring the composer’s score last Friday. Check out our previous article for the full album details and for more information about the Paramount Pictures release. Also click here to check out the project’s music team credits.
Weekly Film Music Roundup (November 8, 2024)
Opening in theaters nationwide this weekend is the horror thriller Heretic written and directed by Scott Beck & Bryan Woods and starring Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East. The film’s original music is composed by Chris Bacon (Source Code, Wednesday, Bates Motel, Men in Black: International, Gnomeo & Juliet, 65, The Tick) . A24 Music has released a soundtrack album featuring the composer’s score last Friday. Click here for the full album details. The label has also released a digital single featuring Thatcher’s cover of Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door as featured during the movie’s end credits. Click here to listen to the track and to learn more about the A24 release.
Also opening nationwide is the family holiday comedy dram The Best Christmas Pageant Ever directed by Dallas Jenkins, narrated by Lauren Graham and and starring Judy Greer, Pete Holmes and Molly Belle Wright. Dan Haseltine & Matthew S. Nelson (The Chosen, The Shift) have composed the film’s original score. No word on a score release. Warner Music Nashville has released Blake Shelton’s cover of Go Tell It On the Mountain from the movie last month. Check out our previous article to listen to the track and for more information about the Kingdom Story Company production, which is being released by Lionsgate.
67th Grammy Awards Nominations Announced
The nominations for the 67th Grammy Awards have been announced. The 2025 Grammys will take place on Sunday, February 2, from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles and broadcast live on the CBS Television Network and stream live and on demand on Paramount+. Here are the nominations in the film music-related categories:
Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media
American Fiction – Laura Karpman
Challengers – Trent Reznor & Atticus Russ
The Color Purple – Kris Bowers