MOVIE MUSIC UK

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) have announced the winners of the 94th Academy Awards, honoring the best in film in 2021.

In the Best Original Score category composer Hans Zimmer won the award for his score for Dune, the epic science fiction adventure based on the classic novel by Frank Herbert, directed by Denis Villeneuve. This is Zimmer’s second Oscar, him having previously won for The Lion King in 1994. Zimmer was not present at the ceremony to accept the award as he was in the middle of his concert tour in Europe, but he later posted a video on his official Facebook page in which he made an impromptu speech – while dressed in pyjamas and a bathrobe! – in the lobby of his hotel in Amsterdam, and said:

“Who else has pyjamas like this! Actually, let me say this, and this is for real: had it not been for you, and most of these people in this room, this would never have happened. You know it I mean, had it not been for Guthrie [Govan]’s amazing bagpipe, had it not been for Loire [Cotner]’s incredible vocal, had it not been for all the incredible musicians in this band, all the musicians in my life, who have given me the confidence to go and do these things. And had ultimately it not been for Denis Villeneuve quietly one day saying to me ‘have you ever heard of a book called Dune?” and I instantly knew I had found a soulmate. I mean, seriously, usually you discuss things with a director, with Denis, he starts a sentence I finish it, I start a sentence he finishes it, so… you know… that! That’s it!”

The other nominees were Nicholas Britell for Don’t Look Up, Germaine Franco for Encanto, Jonny Greenwood for The Power of the Dog, and Alberto Iglesias for Parallel Mothers.

In the Best Original Song category, the winners were Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell for “No Time to Die” from the James Bond film of the same name.

The other nominees were Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and Darius ‘Dixson’ Scott for “Be Alive” from King Richard, Lin-Manuel Miranda for “Dos Oruguitas” from Encanto, Van Morrison for “Down to Joy” from Belfast, and Diane Warren for “Somehow You Do” from Four Good Days.