In a break from the usual timeframe, APRA AMCOS and the Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC) are set to honour Australia’s finest creators of film, television, documentary and advertising music at the Screen Music Awards in early 2022.
Initially due to take place in November of this year, ongoing uncertainty around restrictions prompted the change of plans. The 2021 Screen Music Awards will instead celebrate Australian screen composers and their music soundtracks at Forum Melbourne on 22 February 2022.
APRA AMCOS CEO Dean Ormston said, “Our annual Screen Music Awards will be our first ‘in real life’ celebration of screen composers in two years! It will be truly wonderful to gather once again in Melbourne and honour the extraordinary soundscape Australian screen composers give to films, television series, advertisements and documentaries with the orchestra performing those nominated soundtracks in the beautiful Forum Melbourne. This year, we will also celebrate an extraordinary year of advocacy with APRA AMCOS and the AGSC fighting hard for new legislation that will see a significant boost to local screen production to enhance the livelihoods of screen composers, the unsung heroes of our country’s screen industry.”
Co-hosting the first live celebration of the Screen Music Awards since 2019 will be Nakkiah Lui, Akina Edmonds, and Uncle Jack Charles.
Nakkiah is a writer/actor and Gamillaroi/Torres Strait Islander woman whose stage and screen credits include ABC’s Black Comedy and Preppers; television series Kiki and Kitty and her award-winning play Black is the New White. Singer and actor Akina Edmonds has appeared in high-profile theatre productions including Hairspray, An Officer and a Gentleman and Disney’s The Lion King. Akina is currently playing Angelica Schuyler in the Australian production of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton. Uncle Jack Charles is a Boon Wurrung and Dja Dja Wurrung man – an Australian legend: Indigenous elder, actor, musician and activist. He is acknowledged as the grandfather of Aboriginal theatre in Australia, co-founding the first Aboriginal theatre company Nindethana in 1972. Uncle Jack’s acting career spans over six decades and his stories have touched many across the globe. He’s currently appearing alongside Nakkiah Lui in Preppers.
The Awards will feature the presentation of thirteen awards as well as interpretations of the four Feature Film Score of the Year nominations performed by the Screen Awards orchestra, led by musical director, Jessica Wells whose compositions cross many genres in the classical, commercial and film music worlds. Jessica has worked for some of Australia’s best composers as an orchestrator, arranger and copyist.
The nominees for the 2021 Screen Music Awards will be announced on 20 January 2022.
2021 SCREEN MUSIC AWARDS CATEGORIES
• Best Music for an Advertisement
• Best Music for Children’s Programming
• Best Music for a Documentary
• Best Music for a Mini-Series or Telemovie
• Best Music for a Short Film
• Best Music for a Television Series or Serial
• Best Television Theme
• Best Original Song Composed for the Screen
• Best Soundtrack Album
• Feature Film Score of the Year
• Most Performed Screen Composer – Australia
• Most Performed Screen Composer – Overseas
• Distinguished Services to the Australian Screen
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Top Image: Nakkiah Lui, Akina Edmonds and Uncle Jack Charles