Screen Music Awards returning to Melbourne

The Screen Music Awards are returning to Melbourne in February with an in-person event.

APRA AMCOS and the Australian Guild of Screen Composers had initially hoped to stage their annual awards last month but ongoing uncertainty around restrictions prompted a change of plans.

Nakkiah Lui, Akina Edmonds and national treasure Uncle Jack Charles will host the event at the 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.”

Nominees will be announced on 20 January 2022.

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.