BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc) is celebrating its 37th annual Film, TV & Visual Media Awards, saluting the top-performing composers in film, TV and visual media of the previous year. The honorees were announced across BMI’s social media and digital platforms, featuring a selection of notable composers and multiple award winners, including Atli Örvarsson, James Newton Howard, Ludwig Göransson, Mark Isham, Mark Mothersbaugh, Nathan Barr and Thomas Newman among many others. To view the complete list of winners, watch exclusive video content, and listen to some of the scores that helped propel the top-grossing films, top network television series and highest-ranking cable network and streamed media programs, visit bmi.com/filmtv2021.
“We’re incredibly proud to honor BMI’s exceptional composers and celebrate their outstanding musical contributions that have elevated the year’s most popular films, series and other streaming media to new creative heights,” said Natalie Baartz, BMI’s Vice President, Creative, Film, TV & Visual Media. “We’re thrilled to honor their unique artistry and vision, which have truly made a meaningful and memorable impact around the world. Congratulations to all of our award winners, and we look forward to celebrating together in person next year.”
BMI introduced three new awards, including the BMI Streaming Documentary Award, BMI Film Festival Award and BMI Streaming Film Award, recognizing the importance of these mediums and the composers whose musical works have contributed to these categories. The new accolades brought in several first-time BMI Award winners, including Jongnic Bontemps, who accepted his first crystal in the BMI Streaming Documentary Award category and Casey Wayne McAllister, Gene Back, Nami Melumad, T. Griffin, and Woody Pak in the BMI Film Festival category. Additionally, Alex Belcher, Clyde Lawrence, Cody Fitzgerald, David Wingo, Duncan Thum, Jay Weigel and Joe Wong were also part of the winners’ freshman class in the BMI Streaming Film Award category.
Icelandic composer Atli Örvarsson adds his 29th BMI Award to his collection, recieving the most awards this year with a total of six crystals for his work on the popular NBC franchises Chicago P.D., Chicago Med, and Chicago Fire, as well as the CBS crime dramas FBI and FBI: Most Wanted, and the new Apple TV+ crime series Defending Jacob. Mark Mothersbaugh follows, adding five BMI Awards to his growing list of accolades. His work on the Bravo crime series Dirty John, the FX comedy horror series What We Do in the Shadows, The Willoughbys, The Croods: A New Age, and the popular Netflix docuseries Tiger King were honored. Mark Isham earned four crystals this year for his work on the blockbuster Judas and the Black Messiah, the action-thriller film Honest Thief, the Hulu drama series Little Fires Everywhere, and the Disney+ film Togo.
Esteemed composer, Atticus Ross, had a phenomenal year winning an Oscar, Golden Globe and BAFTA Award for Best Original Score for his work on Pixar’s Soul. Today, he accepts a crystal recognizing his Academy Award win for his touching score to the animated film. In addition, R&B songstress H.E.R., singer/songwriter Tiara Thomas and songwriter/producer D’Mile took home their first BMI Film Award honoring their profoundly moving Academy Award-winning song “Fight For You” from Judas and the Black Messiah.
BMI also welcomed an exceptional group of 35 first-time BMI Film, TV & Visual Media Awards honorees this year. Some of the new inductees include Bobby Krlic (The Alienist), Courtney Taylor-Taylor and Josh Kramon (Veronica Mars), Genevieve Vincent (The Broken Hearts Gallery), Heather Christian (The Shivering Truth), Jabril Ameer Battle (The Last O.G.), Jucee Froot and Matthew Head (P-Valley) and RZA (Wu-Tang: An American Saga), to name a few.
Additional esteemed composers receiving awards include Chris Westlake, Christopher Lennertz, David Buckley, John Williams, Mac Quayle, Sean Callery, Sonya Belousova and Trevor Gureckis, among others.
For more information and a complete list of 2021 BMI Film, TV & Visual Media Award winners visit bmi.com/filmtv2021
