Considering the strange year we have just exprienced it was quite a bumber year fror soundtracks, in fact I listened to the most scores ever – a grand total of 340! Whilst several films have had their release dates changed, and in some cases more than once, there was still enough good movie music to listen to. With cinemas closed streaming platforms upped their game and gave us a fair selection of film releases. Below is my choice of the best scores and the runner’s up!

FILM SCORE OF THE YEAR

ANNY LYE DELIVER’D by Thomas Clay

Close: Let Them All Talk – Thomas Newman, Enola Holmes – Daniel Pemberton, The Midnight Sky – Alexander Desplat, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom – Branford Marsalis

FILM COMPOSER OF THE YEAR

THOMAS CLAY

Close: Thomas Newman, Daniel Pemberton, Branford Marsalis, Lorne Balfe

BREAKTHROUGH COMPOSER OF THE YEAR

THOMAS CLAY

Close: Christopher Willis, Daniel Pemberton, Emille Moseri, Isobel Waller-Bridge

BEST DRAMA SCORE

FANNY LYE DELIVERE’D by Thomas Clay

Close: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Mank, Bad Education, Jungleand

BEST COMEDY SCORE

Let Them All Talk by Thomas Newman

Close: The Personal History Of David Copperfield – Christopher Willis, Emma – IIsobel Waller-Bridge, Explota Explota- Roque Banos,  Wild Mountain Thyme – Ameilia Walker

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR AN ACTION/ADVENTURE/THRILLER FILM

ENOLOA HOLMES by Daniel Pemberton

Close: The Call  Of The Wild – John Powell , Villain – Aaron May & David Ridley, Pirates Down The Street – Matthijs Kieboom, Mulan –  Harry Gregson-Williams

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A FANTASY/SCIENCE FICTION/HORROR FILM

THE MIDNIGHT SKY by Alexandra Desplat

Close: Bad Hair – Kris Bowers,Kelly Rowland & Justin Simien, Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Story – John Debney, Wonder Woman 1984 – Hans Zimmer, Come Away – John Debney

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR AN ANIMATED FILM

PETS REUNITED by Thomas Newman

CLOSE: Fearless -Anne-Katherine Dern, Wolf Walkers – Bruno Coulais, Kila & Aurora, Petite Vampire – Olivier Daviaud, Trolls World Tour – Theodore Shapiro

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A DOCUMENTARY

A LIFE ON OUR PLANET by Steven Price

CLOSE: RisingPhoenix – Daniel Pemberton, Elephant – Ramin Djawadi, Sadan Hanim – George Kallis, Spaceship Earth – Owen Pallett

THE QUEENS GAMBIT by Carlos Rafael Rivera

CLOSE: Devs – Ben Salisbury, The Insects, Geoff Barrow – The Mandalorian S2 – Ludwig Goransson, His Dark Material – Lorne Balfe

BEST ORIGINAL VIDEO GAME SCORE

THE PATHLESS by Austin Wintory

CLOSE: Agos:A Game Of Space – Austin Wintory, Ghost Of Tsushima by Ilan Eshkeri & Shigeru Umebayshi, Ory and the Will of The Wisps, Gareth Coker, Wolcen Lords of Mayhem – Jean-Gabriel Raynaud, Cedric Baravaglio