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The World Soundtrack Academy proudly presents this year's nominees for the renowned WSAwards. The wide range of selected composers includes our guest of honour Alexandre Desplat, Thomas Newman, Benjamin Wallfisch and John Williams. Moreover, last year's Television Composer of the Year, Hildur Guðnadóttir, is now nominated for the Film Composer of the Year Award whereas last year's Film Composer of the Year, Nicholas Britell is now nominated for the WSAward for TV Composer of the Year. As this demonstrates the blurring boundaries between film, television and other audiovisual media, the World Soundtrack Awards will more than ever celebrate the art of composition for screen.

In collaboration with Film Fest Gent Screen International devoted a special supplement on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the World Soundtrack Awards, launched by the World Soundtrack Academy and instigated by Film Fest Gent in 2001.

Film Fest Ghent will explore the cross-pollination between film and music at its 47th edition with VIDEODROOM 2020. In collaboration with Kunstencentrum Vooruit, the festival will present film classics such as Solaris, Koyaanisqatsi and The Shining while giving them a VIDEODROOM make-over. Live music concerts and performances will propose experimental perspectives on the film canon while offering unforgetable experiences.

Over the past few years, Film Fest Ghent cooperated with two partner festivals, Festival International du Film d’Aubagne and Kraków Film Music Festival, and four higher arts education institutions (CNSMD de Lyon, KASK & Conservatorium Ghent, University of Montreal’s Faculty of Music and Conservatorio G. B. Martini Bologna) on the International Master in Composition for Screen. At the 47th edition of the festival, the first generation of InMICS composer talents will graduate.

Film Fest Ghent commemorates Frédéric Devreese, who died at 91, a festival friend and a fascinating composer who mastered both film and classical music.

These are confusing and difficult times, for all of us. The safety of our audience, our guests and our crew is of the utmost importance. Due to the current circumstances, we will adapt our WSA industry programme.

Always wanted to read the thoughts of film composers? Now is your chance: listen to Soundtrack Maestro - our podcast made together with Radio 1 - in which Annelies Moons and FFG music director Dirk Brossé interview four world-renowned film composers, in honour of the twentieth anniversary of the World Soundtrack Awards. Get to know the secrets of these musicians, discover the petites histoires behind their greatest works and follow their journey from blank page to iconic soundtrack.

Hildur Guðnadóttir and Nicholas Britell, respectively Film Composer and TV Composer of the Year, win again at the World Soundtrack Awards. The Belgian composer Hannes De Maeyer is also victorious for his original music in Torpedo. The other winners are Joshuah Brian Campbell and Cynthia Erivo, Bryce Dessner, Alfonso G. Aguilar and Ana Kasrashvili. Gabriel Yared receives the Lifetime Achievement Award.

For the special occasion of the twentieth anniversary of the World Soundtrack Awards, FFG music director Dirk Brossé spoke with Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Gabriel Yared about how he approaches composing for screen, his writing process and where he gets his inspiration from.

How else could we celebrate twenty years of WSA than talking with five-time Film Composer of the Year winner Alexandre Desplat about his work and inspirations. "I jump from film to film. But the story, the characters and their emotions, the images, that's where I really start, that's what makes me move on", says the world-renowned composer. Find out more about Desplat's methods in this twenty-minute talk.