APRA AMCOS and the AGSC (Australian Guild of Screen Composers) are proud to announce the nominees for the 2023 Screen Music Awards – the annual event which recognises excellence in composition across the small and large screen. With music that inspires powerful emotions, the nominated scores have been featured in screen offerings including Talk to Me, In Limbo, Upright, Savage River, Bluey, Deadloch, FOLAU, Blueback, Peaky Blinders and many more.
With three nods each, our lead nominees for 2023 are accomplished screen composers Bryony Marks and Michael Yezerski. Both are nominated for Best Television Theme – Bryony for The Messenger and Michael for Ivy + Bean, which is also recognised in the Best Music for Children’s Programming category. Michael’s final nomination is for Best Music for a Mini-Series or Telemovie for Cabinet of Curiosities: Pickman’s Model. Bryony is nominated in the same category for her work on the ABC TV series Savage River, and The Messenger scores another nod for Best Soundtrack Album.
The Feature Film Score of the Year category stars dual nominee Cornel Wilczek and co-composer Thomas Rouch who wrote the music for the Australian jump-scare thriller Talk to Me, while Benjamin Speed is nominated for comedy / fantasy The Portable Door. The category also includes two first time nominees – Chris Wright for family adventure movie The Secret Kingdom, and composer and artist Anna Liebzeit for her work on Rolf de Heer’s The Survival of Kindness, a thought-provoking story of race and inequality.
This year’s roll call features a massive 23 first-time nominees including this year’s Screen Awards orchestra’s brand-new Musical Director, Erkki Veltheim. Also included in the list of debutantes is Jodi Phillis, Samuel Hirschfelder, Mark Bradshaw, Dominic Cabusi, Bronte Maree O’Neill, Leigh Marsh, Alex Olijnyk, Moses Carr, and Nir Tsfaty.
Dual nominees are Amanda Brown, Mark Bradshaw, Damien Lane, Benjamin Speed, Adam Gock, Dinesh Wicks, James Mountain, and Neil Sutherland who clocks up his 18th nomination in the Most Performed Screen Composer – Overseas category. Neil is recognised for his work on Border Security, MythBusters and Bondi Vet and is joined by composers Nick Cave & Warren Ellis for Dahmer and Peaky Blinders, Joff Bush for Bluey, and Adam Gock & Dinesh Wicks for MasterChef and Lego Masters.
The 2023 Screen Music Awards will be presented before an audience of music composers and industry guests at Forum Melbourne/Naarm on Thursday 9 November. The awards will be hosted by Susie Youssef with performances led by Musical Director and nominee Erkki Veltheim.
2023 SCREEN MUSIC AWARDS NOMINEES
Feature Film Score of the Year
Title Talk To Me
Composed by Cornel Wilczek & Thomas Rouch*
Published by: Concord ANZ*
Title The Portable Door
Composed by Benjamin Speed
Published by Kobalt Music Publishing
Title The Secret Kingdom
Composed by Chris Wright
Title The Survival of Kindness
Composed by Anna Liebzeit
Best Television Theme
Title Deadloch
Composed by Amanda Brown
Published by Universal Music Publishing
Title Ivy + Bean
Composed by Michael Yezerski
Published by BMG
Title The Clearing
Composed by Mark Bradshaw
Published by Universal Music Publishing
Title The Messenger
Composed by Bryony Marks
Published by Kobalt Music Publishing obo Lillipilli IP
Best Music for a Television Series or Serial
Title Deadloch
Composed by Amanda Brown
Published by Universal Music Publishing
Title Irreverent
Composed by David Hirschfelder & Samuel Hirschfelder
Title Last King of the Cross
Composed by David McCormack & Antony Partos
Published by Sonar Music
Title Safe Home
Composed by Helena Czajka
Best Music for a Mini-Series or Telemovie
Title Cabinet of Curiosities: Pickman’s Model
Composed by Michael Yezerski
Title In Limbo
Composed by Matteo Zingales
Title Savage River
Composed by Bryony Marks
Published by Kobalt Music Publishing obo Lillipilli IP
Title The Clearing
Composed by Mark Bradshaw
Published by Universal Music Publishing
Best Original Song Composed for the Screen
Title: Glow from The Red Shoes: Next Step
Composed by Dominic Cabusi & Bronte Maree O’Neill
Title: Monos Lithos from Monolith
Composed by Benjamin Speed & Leigh Marsh
Title: Rollercoaster from Soundtrack to Our Teenage Zombie Apocalypse
Composed by Damien Lane & Jodi Phillis
Published by Kobalt Music Publishing obo Lillipilli IP
Title: The Aeroplane from Upright
Composed by Tim Minchin
Published by Kobalt Music Publishing
Best Music for a Documentary
Title Flyways
Composed by Cezary Skubiszewski
Title Kindred
Composed by Caitlin Yeo* & Damien Lane
Published by Kobalt Music Publishing obo Lillipilli IP*
Title The Australian Wars: Episode 1
Composed by Erkki Veltheim
Published by Sony Music Publishing obo SFM Publishing
Title The Black Hand
Composed by Jason Fernandez
Best Music for a Short Film
Title Black Canvas
Composed by Tony King
Title Mud Crab
Composed by James Mountain
Title My Bubble-Wrapped Exorcism
Composed by Alex Olijnyk & Moses Carr
Title Scorpion Ascent
Composed by Nir Tsfaty
Best Soundtrack Album
Title Blueback
Composed by Nigel Westlake
Title FOLAU
Composed by Ned Beckley, ‘Ofa Fotu & Joshua Hogan
Title Mud Crab
Composed by James Mountain
Title The Messenger
Composed by Bryony Marks
Published by Kobalt Music Publishing obo Lillipilli IP
Best Music for Children’s Programming
Title Bluey: Dragon
Composed by Joff Bush, Jazz D’Arcy & Daniel O’Brien
Published by Universal Music Publishing
Title Crazy Fun Park
Composed by Cornel Wilczek
Title Ivy + Bean
Composed by Michael Yezerski
Published by BMG
Title Scarygirl
Composed by Ack Kinmonth
Best Music for an Advertisement
Title Coopers Beer: Roll On
Composed by Dan Higson & Nick West
Published by Smith and Western Studios
Title NRMA Insurance: Until Then – Duel
Composed by Jeremy Richmond
Published by Rumble Studios
Title Samsung Galaxy Earbuds
Composed by Lance Gurisik
Published by Massive Publishing
Title The Voice: Power to the People
Composed by Graham Donald, Charlton Hill* & Justin Shave*
Published by Red Music Publishing / Universal Music Publishing obo Uncanny Valley*
Most Performed Screen Composer – Australia*
Composers: Adam Gock & Dinesh Wicks
For: MasterChef, Anh’s Brush with Fame, Beauty and the Geek Australia
Composer: Jay Stewart
For: The Block, Better Homes and Gardens, House Rules
Composer: Mitch Stewart
For: MasterChef, Travel Guides, Love on the Spectrum
Composer: Neil Sutherland
For: Border Security, MythBusters, Bondi Vet
Most Performed Screen Composer – Overseas*
Composers: Adam Gock & Dinesh Wicks
For: MasterChef, Lego Masters
Composer: Joff Bush
For: Bluey
Composer: Neil Sutherland
For: Border Security, MythBusters, Bondi Vet
Composers: Nick Cave & Warren Ellis
For: Dahmer, Peaky Blinders
*Most Performed categories are determined by statistical analysis.
2023 SCREEN MUSIC AWARDS
Forum Melbourne/Naarm
Thursday 9 November
With host Susie Youssef
Musical Director Erkki Veltheim
APRA AMCOS is a key business partner to Australasian music creators. We have 115,000 members who are songwriters, composers, and music publishers. We license businesses to play, perform, copy, or record our members’ music, and we distribute the royalties to our members.
As a world-leading organisation invested in the future of music, APRA AMCOS enables music creators and customers to maximise the value music brings to business and life. We achieve this through a simple and effective licensing framework, and providing holistic industry support – from education, to live music, export, creators’ rights advocacy and recognition through our high-profile awards and events program. apraamcos.com.au
AGSC is the national industry association for professional composers working in film, television, documentary, and multimedia, promoting excellence in screen composition through industry events, government lobbying and direct membership advice. agsc.org.au
We acknowledge the traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander owners of country throughout Australia and pay our respects to them, their culture, and their Elders past and present. We also acknowledge Māori as tangata whenua and Treaty of Waitangi partners in Aotearoa New Zealand.
