“The Personal History of David Copperfield” was the big winner at the 2020 International Film Music Critics Association Awards, winning both Film Score of the Year and Best Comedy Score. “The Queen’s Gambit” won two awards on the television end, winning Best Television Score and Best Composition of the Year. Not much pertains here to the Oscars as none of the Film Scores of the Year nominees were shortlisted by the Academy. However, Daniel Pemberton did win Film Composer of the Year, and as he scored “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” which should be a big Oscar contender, it bodes well for his chances of getting a nomination. Also, “Wolfwalkers” won Best Animated Feature Score, which shows how well the craft of the film has been appreciated.
FILM SCORE OF THE YEAR
“The Personal History of David Copperfield”
Music by Christopher Willis
NOMINEES
- “The Call of the Wild” — Music by John Powell
- “Enola Holmes” — Music by Daniel Pemberton
- “Fukushima 50” — Music by Tarō Iwashiro
- “The Personal History of David Copperfield” — Music by Christopher Willis
- “Wonder Woman 1984” — Music by Hans Zimmer
FILM COMPOSER OF THE YEAR
Daniel Pemberton
NOMINEES
- Federico Jusid
- Bear McCreary
- Daniel Pemberton
- Christopher Willis
- Hans Zimmer
FILM MUSIC
COMPOSITION OF THE YEAR
“Main Title” from “The Queen’s Gambit”
Music by Carlos Rafael Rivera
NOMINEES
- “1984” from “Wonder Woman 1984” — Music by Hans Zimmer
- “Buck Takes the Lead” from “The Call of the Wild” — Music by John Powell
- “Main Title” from “The Queen’s Gambit” — Music by Carlos Rafael Rivera
- “Symphonic Suite F – 1st Chapter: All Life” from “Fukushima 50” — Music by Tarō Iwashiro
- “Themyscira” from “Wonder Woman 1984” — Music by Hans Zimmer
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
FOR A DRAMA FILM
“Fukushima 50”
Music by Tarō Iwashiro
NOMINEES
- “Da 5 Bloods — Music by Terence Blanchard
- “Fanny Lye Deliver’d” — Music by Thomas Clay
- “Fukushima 50” — Music by Tarō Iwashiro
- “News of the World” — Music by James Newton Howard
- “The “Trial of the Chicago 7” — Music by Daniel Pemberton
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
FOR A COMEDY FILM
“The Personal History of David Copperfield”
Music by Christopher Willis
NOMINEES
- “An American Pickle” — Music by Michael Giacchino and Nami Melumad
- “Emma” — Music by Isobel Waller-Bridge and David Schweitzer
- “Godmothered” — Music by Rachel Portman
- “The Personal History of David Copperfield” — Music by Christopher Willis
- “Wild Mountain Thyme” — Music by Amelia Warner
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR AN ACTION/ADVENTURE/THRILLER FILM
“The Call of the Wild”
Music by John Powell
NOMINEES
- “The Call of the Wild” — Music by John Powell
- “Enola Holmes” — Music by Daniel Pemberton
- “Mulan” — Music by Harry Gregson-Williams
- “Orígenes Secretos (Unknown Origins)” — Music by Federico Jusid
- “Tenet” — Music by Ludwig Göransson
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A FANTASY/SCIENCE FICTION/HORROR FILM
“Wonder Woman 1984”
Music by Hans Zimmer
NOMINEES
- “The Invisible Man” — Music by Benjamin Wallfisch
- “The Midnight Sky” — Music by Alexandre Desplat
- “Wendy” — Music by Dan Romer and Benh Zeitlin
- “The Witches” — Music by Alan Silvestri
- “Wonder Woman 1984” — Music by Hans Zimmer
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
FOR AN ANIMATED FEATURE
“Wolfwalkers”
Music by Bruno Coulais
NOMINEES
- “Animal Crackers” — Music by Bear McCreary
- “Fearless” — Music by Anne-Kathrin Dern
- “Onward” — Music by Mychael Danna and Jeff Danna
- “Soul” — Music by Trent Reznor” — Atticus Ross” — and Jon Batiste
- “Wolfwalkers” — Music by Bruno Coulais
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
FOR A DOCUMENTARY
“David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet”
Music by Steven Price
NOMINEES
- “David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet” — Music by Steven Price
- “Elephant” — Music by Ramin Djawadi
- “Harbor from the Holocaust” — Music by Chad Cannon
- “Rising Phoenix” — Music by Daniel Pemberton
- “Sadam Hanim” — Music by George Kallis
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
FOR TELEVISION
“The Queen’s Gambit”
Music by Carlos Rafael Rivera
NOMINEES
- “Dracula” — Music by David Arnold and Michael Price
- “His Dark Materials” — Music by Lorne Balfe
- “Lovecraft Country” — Music by Laura Karpman and Raphael Saadiq
- “The Mandalorian” — Music by Ludwig Göransson
- “The Queen’s Gambit” — Music by Carlos Rafael Rivera
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A VIDEO GAME OR INTERACTIVE MEDIA
“Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond”
Music by Michael Giacchino and Nami Melumad
NOMINEES
- “Ghosts of Tsushima” — Music by Ilan Eshkeri and Shigeru Umebayashi
- “Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond” — Music by Michael Giacchino and Nami Melumad
- “Oris and the Will of the Wisps” — Music by Gareth Coker
- “The Pathless” — Music by Austin Wintory
- “Star Wars: Squadrons” — Music by Gordy Haab
BEST NEW ARCHIVAL RELEASE
RE-RELEASE OR RE-RECORDING
“King of Kings”
Music by Miklós Rózsa
w/ The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus
Conducted by Nic Raine
Album Produced by James Fitzpatick
Liner Notes by Frank K. DeWald and James Fitzpatrick
Album Art Direction by Nic Finch, Gareth Bevan, and James Fitzpatrick
(Tadlow Music)
NOMINEES
- “Endless Night” — Music by Bernard Herrmann; the Basque National Orchestra” — conducted by Fernando Velázquez; album produced by Edouard Dubois and José M. Benitez; liner notes by Frank K. DeWald; album art direction by Nacho B. Govantes (Quartet)
- “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” — Music by Ennio Morricone; album produced by Chris Malone and José M. Benitez; liner notes by Chris Malone and Tim Greiving; album art direction by Nacho B. Govantes (Quartet)
- “How To Train Your Dragon” — Music by John Powell; album produced by John Powell, Batu Sener, Bryon Davis, and Cary E. Mansfield; liner notes by Tim Greiving; album art direction by Bill Pitzonka (Varèse Sarabande/5 Cat Studios)
- “King of Kings” — Music by Miklós Rózsa; the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus, conducted by Nic Raine; album produced by James Fitzpatick; liner notes by Frank K. DeWald and James Fitzpatrick; album art direction by Nic Finch, Gareth Bevan, and James Fitzpatrick (Tadlow Music)
- “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” — Music by Michael Kamen; album produced by Douglass Fake and Roger Feigelson; liner notes by Frank K. DeWald; album art direction by Kay Marshall (Intrada)
BEST NEW ARCHIVAL RELEASE
COMPILATION
“John Williams in Vienna”
Music by John Williams
w/ The Wiener Philharmoniker and Anne-Sophie Mutter
Conducted by John Williams
Album Produced by Bernhard Güttler
Liner Notes by Otta Biba
Album Art Direction by Büro Dirk Rudolph
(Deutsche Grammophon)
NOMINEES
- ”Franz Wazman: The Documentaries” — Music by Franz Waxman; album produced by Ford A. Thaxton and James Nelson; liner notes by Jon Burlingame; album art direction by Mark Banning (Dragon’s Domain)
- “John Williams in Vienna” — Music by John Williams; the Wiener Philharmoniker and Anne-Sophie Mutter, conducted by John Williams; album produced by Bernhard Güttler; liner notes by Otta Biba; album art direction by Büro Dirk Rudolph (Deutsche Grammophon)
- “Morricone Segreto” — Music by Ennio Morricone; album produced by Pierpaolo De Sanctis; album art direction by Leonardo Pellegrino (Decca)
- “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea” — Music by Alexander Courage, Robert Drasnin, Jerry Goldsmith, Lennie Hayton, Joseph Mullendore, Nelson Riddle, Paul Sawtell, Herman Stein, and Leith Stevens; album produced by Jeff Bond and Neil S. Bulk; liner notes by Jeff Bond; album art direction by Mark Banning (La-La Land)
- “World Soundtrack Awards: Tribute to the Film Composer” — Music by Various Composers; the Brussels Philharmonic Orchestra and Vlaams Radiokoor” — conducted by Dirk Brossé; album produced by Thomas Van Parys; liner notes by Thomas Van Parys; album art direction by Stuart Ford (Silva Screen/Film Fest Ghent)
FILM MUSIC
RECORD LABEL OF THE YEAR
Quartet Records
José M. Benitez
NOMINEES
- Intrada Records — Douglass Fake and Roger Feigelson
- La-La-Land Records — MV Gerhard and Matt Verboys
- Moviescore Media — Mikael Carlsson
- Quartet Records — José M. Benitez
- Tadlow Music — James Fitzpatrick
BREAKTHROUGH COMPOSER
Thomas Clay
NOMINEES
- Alex Baranowski
- Thomas Clay
- Philip Klein
- Nami Melumad
- Isobel Waller-Bridge and David Schweitzer
INTERNATIONAL FILM MUSIC CRITICS ASSOCIATION
The International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA) is an association of online, print and radio journalists who specialize in writing and broadcasting about original film, television and game music.
Since its inception, the IFMCA has grown to comprise over 65 members from countries such as Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Iran, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.
