German composer Volker Bertelmann was named Film Composer of the Year at the Ghent Film Festival’s prestigious World Soundtrack Awards on Wednesday. He received the honor for his work on Edward Berger’s *Conclave* and James Hawes’ *The Amateur*. This marks the second time Bertelmann has won the award, having previously been recognized just two years ago for his scores for *War Sailor*, *Memory of Water*, and his Oscar-winning music for *All Quiet on the Western Front*.
Although Bertelmann could not attend the ceremony, he sent a video message expressing his gratitude to both Berger and Hawes for “giving me the chance to experiment.” He said, “I recognize it’s so nice to have directors who let you do your thing when you can stretch the boundaries and experiment a bit more. It’s a collaborative process, but ultimately you have to find your voice.”
British composer Daniel Blumberg, who won this year’s Best Original Score Oscar for his work on Brady Corbet’s *The Brutalist*, took home the Discovery of the Year award.
Several other awards were handed out during the ceremony, which featured a concert by the Brussels Philharmonic conducted by Dirk Brossé.
Theodore Shapiro won Television Composer of the Year for his work on *Severance*, while Clément Ducol, Camille, and Jacques Audiard repeated their Oscar successes by winning Best Original Song for “El Mal” from *Emilia Pérez*.
Shapiro thanked the *Severance* team during his acceptance speech. “I want to thank working on a show that is so incredibly generous in the space that it allows for music to have a real voice and character on the show. Not every project gives music that kind of space, so I want to thank Ben Stiller for his vision of what language this show was going to be. I’m grateful to have him as a friend.”
This year marks the landmark 25th edition of the World Soundtrack Awards. The event originated from Belgium’s Film Fest Ghent, which realized in the 1980s the need to distinguish itself from other festivals by focusing on film music. This vision led to the establishment of the World Soundtrack Awards and its parent organization, the World Soundtrack Academy, in 2001.
To celebrate the anniversary, the WSA planned unique tributes, honoring two “absolute legends of the game,” Philip Glass (*The Hours*) and Michael Nyman (*The Piano*). The duo received Lifetime Achievement Awards and are being further celebrated with a special concert titled *Minimalism in Motion: Glass, Nyman and Beyond* on Thursday. Their music will be performed live alongside contemporary minimalists Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch (*All Of Us Strangers*) and Martin Phipps (*Napoleon*).
The WSA also spotlighted two guests of honor: Debbie Wiseman and A. R. Rahman. Rahman, a two-time Oscar winner, is regarded as “arguably the biggest Indian composer for the screen working today,” with numerous Bollywood credits and an Oscar-winning score for Danny Boyle’s *Slumdog Millionaire*.
Composer Jerskin Fendrix, known for his work on Yorgos Lanthimos’ *Poor Things*, returned to Ghent after making history at the 2024 awards by being the first ever to win both Film Composer of the Year and Discovery of the Year. Speaking before his award-winning music was performed live, Jerskin shared that he is at a point where he has “no other choice” but to continue collaborating with Lanthimos.
“I was writing songs before I started working with Yorgos,” he recalled. “To a certain extent, songwriting can be very self-centered, and when you’re writing for something like *Poor Things*, you have to wipe yourself off the desk. Through doing these scores with Yorgos, I think I gained a good amount of artistic empathy. It’s been really, really helpful. He’s really supportive. I feel very lucky, generally.”
To mark the 25th anniversary, the WSA released a triple album collection including:
– *Debbie Wiseman: Music for Film and Television*, featuring all-new studio recordings from the British composer behind *Edie* and *Tom and Viv*
– *Craig Armstrong: Music For Film*, an expanded reissue of the first album launched by the festival back in 2007
– *World Soundtrack Awards 25th Anniversary Celebration*, a limited-edition vinyl set bringing together over two decades of WSA history, featuring live recordings of memorable live and studio performances at the festival
### Full List of Winners
– **Film Composer of the Year:** Volker Bertelmann (*Conclave*, *The Amateur*)
– **Television Composer of the Year:** Theodore Shapiro (*Severance* Season 2)
– **Best Original Song:** “El Mal” from *Emilia Pérez*, written by Clément Ducol, Camille, and Jacques Audiard; performed by Zoe Saldaña and Karla Sofía Gascón
– **Discovery of the Year:** Daniel Blumberg (*The Brutalist*)
– **Public Choice Award:** Laetitia Pansanel-Garric (*Hola Frida*)
– **Game Music Award:** Lorien Testard (*Clair Obscur: Expedition 33*)
– **Belgian Film Composer of the Year (Powered by Sabam):** Ruben De Gheselle (*Young Hearts*, *There Was, There Was Not*)
– **Award for the Best Original Composition by a Young Composer (Powered by Vienna Synchron Stage):** Bongseop Kim
– **Lifetime Achievement Award:** Philip Glass and Michael Nyman
The 25th edition of the World Soundtrack Awards not only celebrated exceptional talent but also highlighted the evolving art of film music, underscoring its importance in storytelling and cinema worldwide.
https://variety.com/2025/film/global/25th-world-soundtrack-awards-winners-1236554054/