Jóhann Jóhannsson Wins Posthumous Award

At the World Soundtrack Awards on Thursday, presented during Film Fest Gent, Jóhann Jóhannsson won Film Composer Of The Year for the second time in a row, although this time it was posthumously.

Having won Best Composer last year for his score to Denis Villeneuve‘s Arrival, Jóhann Jóhannsson was jointly honoured this year for his scores to Mandy, The Mercy, and Mary Magdalene (composed with Hildur Guðnadóttir).

While he was an accomplished solo musician with several studio albums, it was Jóhann Jóhannsson’s relatively recent move into scoring films that brought him significant international success and awards recognition.

In 2015, Jóhannsson was nominated for an Academy Award for his score to The Theory of Everything, and then again in 2016 for Denis Villeneuve’s Sicario. He went on to receive Golden Globe and Grammy nominations for Villeneuve’s Arrival, and this relationship continued with Blade Runner 2049, though he ultimately left the project.

Jóhannsson’s protégé and frequent collaborator Hildur Guðnadóttir accepted the prize on his behalf.