MOVIE MUSIC UK

INTERNATIONAL FILM MUSIC CRITICS ASSOCIATION (IFMCA) AWARDS NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED

ALEXANDRE DESPLAT LEADS LIST OF NOMINATED COMPOSERS WITH SIX NOMINATIONS; FANTASY, SCIENCE FICTION, HORROR FILMS DOMINATE MAIN CATEGORIES

FEBRUARY 12, 2026. The International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA) has announced its nominees for excellence in musical scoring in 2025 for the 22nd annual IFMCA Awards. Composer Alexandre Desplat leads this year’s field with six nominations, followed by Michael Giacchino with five and Simon Franglen with four.

The bulk of Desplat’s nominations come for his work on two scores: director Guillermo del Toro’s new exploration of the classic horror story Frankenstein, and the latest installment in the Jurassic Park series, Jurassic World: Rebirth. IFMCA member James Southall called Frankenstein “one of the year’s most elegant and rich film scores,” writing that “Desplat brings elegance and grace to the music, exploring feelings and relationships with precision and care,” and praising its lavish, multi-layered musical storytelling. Similarly, IFMCA member Florent Groult described Jurassic World: Rebirth as “a fine score” ranging “from the intimate to the spectacular and the horrific,” and “full of melodic features, shades, and orchestral details.”

Both scores are nominated for Score of the Year and in their respective genre categories; the cue “The Tower” from Frankenstein is nominated for Composition of the Year; and Desplat himself receives a nomination for Composer of the Year. His additional 2025 projects include the Arabic-language political thriller Les Aigles de la République/Eagles of the Republic, director Wes Anderson’s quirky comedy The Phoenician Scheme, and the French-language science fiction film L’Homme Qui Rétrécit/The Incredible Shrinking Man, based on the classic novel by Richard Matheson.

Giacchino is recognized for his work on the Marvel superhero blockbuster The Fantastic Four: First Steps and the Disney animated sequel Zootopia 2. The Fantastic Four: First Steps earns a nomination for Score of the Year; both scores are nominated in their respective genre categories; the “Main Theme” from The Fantastic Four is nominated for Composition of the Year; and Giacchino receives a personal nomination for Composer of the Year. IFMCA member Jon Broxton called The Fantastic Four: First Steps one of the best scores of 2025, describing it as “a fantastic return to a time when superhero scores were consistently heroic and optimistic, full of memorable themes and clever, detailed writing,” and noting that it has “so much fun, energy, and zip and pizzazz that it can barely contain itself.”

Franglen devoted all of 2025 to scoring Avatar: Fire and Ash, director James Cameron’s second sequel to his epic space saga Avatar, and is rewarded with nominations for Score of the Year, Composition of the Year (for his new theme, “The Windtraders”), Best Fantasy/Science Fiction Score, and Composer of the Year. IFMCA member Christian Clemmensen wrote that Franglen “surpasses all expectations in composing an astonishingly brilliant love letter to James Horner that is arguably superior to its predecessor,” adding that the score as a whole “stands as a confident continuation of the Avatar musical legacy, embracing its origins while expanding them with complexity and scale.”

Composer Ludwig Göransson received three nominations for his work on director Ryan Coogler’s ambitious period horror-drama Sinners: Score of the Year, Best Horror Score, and Composer of the Year. IFMCA member Daniel Schweiger described Sinners as “a fluid merging of the Delta Blues, Africa, and all points Black, as guitar, harmonica, and voice create a rich, heat-and-sensuality-soaked culture to grind and bite by in the most atmospheric southern grooves this side of a classic Ry Cooder soundtrack,” concluding that the score is “a truly audacious all-things, all-places mash-up for a movie of staggering invention across Black musical time that rocks the joint from dusk ’til dawn.”

The final nominee for Composer of the Year is John Powell, whose 2025 scores include the second installment of the Broadway musical adaptation Wicked: For Good and the live-action remake of the beloved animated film How to Train Your Dragon. IFMCA member Jon Broxton praised the seamless integration of Powell’s orchestral writing with Stephen Schwartz’s themes in Wicked: For Good, highlighting its “utterly spectacular orchestrations that make this sequel score just as enchanting as the first,” and calling it “easily one of the outstanding scores of 2025.” Meanwhile, IFMCA member Christian Clemmensen commended Powell’s work on How to Train Your Dragon for “providing an incredibly vibrant and smart companion to the original 2010 classic,” and offering “a rare opportunity to experience this music all over again.”

As always, the IFMCA makes a special effort to recognize emerging talent in the film music world. The nominees in the Breakthrough Composer of the Year category represent a diverse group spanning continents and styles. French composer Mathieu Alvado is nominated primarily for his work on the television series Astérix et Obélix: Le Combat des Chefs, based on the classic comic books created by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. IFMCA members praised Alvado’s music as a rich orchestral score blending sweeping cinematic grandeur for epic battles with folk-inspired elements that evoke the Gallic setting.

American composer Jeremiah Fraites, previously nominated in 2014 as part of The Lumineers for his contribution to The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1, is now working as a composer in his own right. His scores for the biopic Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere and the Stephen King thriller The Long Walk impressed IFMCA members with their gritty Americana textures and detailed period authenticity. American composer Cameron Moody is nominated largely for his score for the Hulu period adventure series Washington Black, also nominated in its genre. Members described Moody’s work as “a rich and expressive tribute to the John Williams sound,” “one of the most impressive mainstream debuts in years,” and praised its “orchestral sophistication, emotional intelligence, drama, and narrative structure.”

French composer Lorien Testard drew significant acclaim for his massive eight-hour score for the video game Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, also nominated in its genre. IFMCA members noted that Testard blends classical opera and heavy-metal rock with emotive orchestral writing in a manner both distinctive and fresh, heralding him as an important new voice in video game music. Finally, the Scottish progressive hip hop group Young Fathers – Kayus Bankole, Graham Hastings, and Alloysious Massaquoi – are recognized for their debut score for director Danny Boyle’s zombie horror sequel 28 Years Later. The music ranges from quiet, unnerving atmospheres to explosive, percussive violence, and is especially notable for the track “Boots,” which incorporates a 1915 recording of Rudyard Kipling’s poem of the same name read by Broadway actor Taylor Holmes.

The IFMCA continues its tradition of honoring composers from across the globe. Additional international nominees include Scotland’s John Lunn for the period drama Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale; Finland’s Panu Aaltio for the third installment in the children’s superhero franchise Supermarsu Ja Suuri Huijaus/Super Furball and the Lying Squirrel; Danny Elfman for his score for Luc Besson’s French-language Dracula; Neal Acree for the Chinese animated historical action epic Three Kingdoms: Starlit Heroes; and France’s Arnaud Toulon for the animated fantasy film Arco.

International documentaries and television series are particularly well represented this year. The documentary category includes Aux Armes, Citoyennes! Les Femmes Dans la Révolution Française by Laetitia Pansanel-Garric (France), Descalzos by Oscar Martín Leanizbarrutia (Spain), Kantauri by Joseba Beristain (Spain), and Monsen og Nasjonalparkene by Raymond Enoksen (Norway). International television nominees include Astérix et Obélix: Le Combat des Chefs (France, Mathieu Alvado), Call the Midwife (UK, Maurizio Malagnini), and Il Gattopardo/The Leopard (Italy, Paolo Buonvino). Toulon, Pansanel-Garric, Beristain, Enoksen, and Buonvino are all receiving their first IFMCA Award nominations.

Several additional composers are also earning their first IFMCA nominations this year: Max Aruj (Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Action-Adventure), Roy Bemelmans (Achter de Deur/Behind the Door, Short), Evan Call (Dragonite and the Special Delivery, Short), Alfie Godfrey (Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Action-Adventure), Daniel Lopatin (Marty Supreme, Drama), Andrew Morgan Smith (The Oval Portrait, Horror-Thriller), Trevor Morris (Butterfly on a Wheel, Short), Romain Paillot (Le Secret de Martha, Short), Brandon Roberts (Star Wars: Andor, TV), Adam Sporka (Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, Game), and Jan Valta (Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, Game).

The International Film Music Critics Association will announce the winners of the 22nd IFMCA Awards LIVE on the IFMCA YouTube channel on February 26, 2026.

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The nominees are:

SCORE OF THE YEAR

• AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH, music by Simon Franglen
• THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS, music by Michael Giacchino
• FRANKENSTEIN, music by Alexandre Desplat
• JURASSIC WORLD: REBIRTH, music by Alexandre Desplat
• SINNERS, music by Ludwig Göransson

COMPOSER OF THE YEAR

• ALEXANDRE DESPLAT
• SIMON FRANGLEN
• MICHAEL GIACCHINO
• LUDWIG GÖRANSSON
• JOHN POWELL

BREAKTHROUGH COMPOSER OF THE YEAR

• MATHIEU ALVADO
• JEREMIAH FRAITES
• CAMERON MOODY
• LORIEN TESTARD
• YOUNG FATHERS [KAYUS BANKOLE, GRAHAM HASTINGS, ALLOYSIOUS MASSAQUOI]

COMPOSITION OF THE YEAR

• “Jay Kelly Suite” from JAY KELLY, music by Nicholas Britell
• “Of The Undiscovered Country” from HAMNET, music by Max Richter
• “The Fantastic Four: First Steps Main Theme” from THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS, music by Michael Giacchino
• “The Tower” from FRANKENSTEIN, music by Alexandre Desplat
• “The Windtraders” from AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH, music by Simon Franglen

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A DRAMA FILM

• DOWNTON ABBEY: THE GRAND FINALE, music by John Lunn
• HAMNET, music by Max Richter
• JAY KELLY, music by Nicholas Britell
• MARTY SUPREME, music by Daniel Lopatin
• NUREMBERG, music by Brian Tyler

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A COMEDY FILM

• ANACONDA, music by David Fleming
• ELLA MCCAY, music by Hans Zimmer
• ETERNITY, music by David Fleming
• THE NAKED GUN, music by Lorne Balfe
• THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB, music by Thomas Newman

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR AN ACTION/ADVENTURE FILM

• F1, music by Hans Zimmer
• MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING, music by Max Aruj and Alfie Godfrey
• ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER, music by Jonny Greenwood
• PLAY DIRTY, music by Alan Silvestri
• SUPERMARSU JA SUURI HUIJAUS/SUPER FURBALL AND THE LYING SQUIRREL, music by Panu Aaltio

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A FANTASY/SCIENCE FICTION FILM

• AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH, music by Simon Franglen
• BUGONIA, music by Jerskin Fendrix
• THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS, music by Michael Giacchino
• JURASSIC WORLD: REBIRTH, music by Alexandre Desplat
• WICKED: FOR GOOD, music by John Powell and Stephen Schwartz

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A HORROR/THRILLER FILM

• DRACULA, music by Danny Elfman
• FINAL DESTINATION: BLOODLINES, music by Tim Wynn
• FRANKENSTEIN, music by Alexandre Desplat
• THE OVAL PORTRAIT, music by Andrew Morgan Smith
• SINNERS, music by Ludwig Göransson

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR AN ANIMATED FILM

• ARCO, music by Arnaud Toulon
• THE BAD GUYS 2, music by Daniel Pemberton
• ELIO, music by Rob Simonsen
• THREE KINGDOMS: STARLIT HEROES, music by Neal Acree
• ZOOTOPIA 2, music by Michael Giacchino

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A DOCUMENTARY

• AUX ARMES, CITOYENNES! LES FEMMES DANS LA RÉVOLUTION FRANÇAISE, music by Laetitia Pansanel-Garric
• DESCALZOS, music by Oscar Martín Leanizbarrutia
• KANTAURI, music by Joseba Beristain
• MONSEN OG NASJONALPARKENE, music by Raymond Enoksen
• OCEAN WITH DAVID ATTENBOROUGH, music by Steven Price

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR TELEVISION

• ASTÉRIX ET OBÉLIX: LE COMBAT DES CHEFS, music by Mathieu Alvado
• CALL THE MIDWIFE, music by Maurizio Malagnini
• IL GATTOPARDO/THE LEOPARD, music by Paolo Buonvino
• STAR WARS: ANDOR, music by Brandon Roberts and Nicholas Britell
• WASHINGTON BLACK, music by Cameron Moody

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A VIDEO GAME OR INTERACTIVE MEDIA

• CLAIR OBSCUR: EXPEDITION 33, music by Lorien Testard
• GHOST OF YŌTEI, music by Wataru Hokoyama
• KINGDOM COME: DELIVERANCE II, music by Jan Valta and Adam Sporka
• SOUTH OF MIDNIGHT, music by Olivier Derivière
• TOWERBORNE, music by Austin Wintory

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A SHORT FILM

• ACHTER DE DEUR/BEHIND THE DOOR, music by Roy Bemelmans
• BUTTERFLY ON A WHEEL, music by Trevor Morris
• DRAGONITE AND THE SPECIAL DELIVERY, music by Evan Call
• LARGO, music by Stuart Hancock
• LE SECRET DE MARTHA, music by Romain Paillot

BEST ARCHIVAL RELEASE

• THE DARK CRYSTAL, music by Trevor Jones; album produced by Trevor Jones and Tim Greiving; liner notes by Tim Greiving; album art direction by Dan Goldwasser (La-La Land)
• FLATLINERS, music by James Newton Howard; album produced by Stéphane Humez; liner notes by Kaya Savas; album art direction by Kay Marshall (Intrada)
• GLADIATOR, music by Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard; album produced by Stéphane Humez; liner notes by Kaya Savas; album art direction by Dan Goldwasser (La-La Land)
• JAWS, music by John Williams; album produced by Mike Matessino; liner notes by Mike Matessino; album art direction by Kay Marshall and Stéphane Coëdel (Intrada)
• ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE, music by John Barry; album produced by Neil S. Bulk; liner notes by Jon Burlingame; album art direction by Dan Goldwasser and Jim Titus (La-La Land)

 BEST NEW RECORDING OF AN EXISTING FILM SCORE

• ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN/ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET THE KEYSTONE KOPS, music by Frank Skinner, William Lava, Henry Mancini, and Herman Stein; the Royal Scottish National Orchestra conducted by William Stromberg; score reconstruction by John Morgan, William Stromberg, and Anna Bonn Stromberg; recording produced by Leigh Phillips; liner notes by Ray Faiola; original cover art by Joe Sikoryak and Stéphane Coëdel; album art direction by Kay Marshall (Intrada)
• THE CHAIRMAN, music by Jerry Goldsmith; the Royal Scottish National Orchestra conducted by William Stromberg; score reconstruction and orchestrations by Leigh Phillips with music prep by Anna Bonn Stromberg; album produced by Leigh Phillips; liner notes by Jon Burlingame and Leigh Phillips; original cover art by Stéphane Coëdel; album art direction by Kay Marshall (Intrada)
• DEBBIE WISEMAN: MUSIC FOR FILM AND TELEVISION, music by Debbie Wiseman; Brussels Philharmonic conducted by Dirk Brossé; album produced by Thomas Van Parys; liner notes by Thomas Van Parys and Debbie Wiseman; album art direction by Stuart Ford (Silva Screen/Film Fest Gent)
• HOWARD SHORE: ANTHOLOGY – THE PARIS CONCERTS, music by Howard Shore; Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France conducted by Ludwig Wicki and Bastien Still; album produced by Ute Fesquet; liner notes by Stéphane Lerouge; album art direction by Christian Huck (Deutsche Grammophon)
• PURSUIT/CRAWLSPACE/THE PEOPLE NEXT DOOR, music by Jerry Goldsmith; the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Adam Klemens; score reconstruction and orchestrations by Leigh Phillips; album produced by Leigh Phillips; liner notes by Jon Burlingame and Yavar Moradi; original cover art by Stéphane Coëdel; album art direction by Kay Marshall (Klassik Film Music/Intrada)

The International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA) is an association of online, print and radio journalists who specialize in writing and broadcasting about original film, television and game music.

Since its inception the IFMCA has grown to comprise over 70 members from countries such as Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Iran, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.

Previous IFMCA Score of the Year Awards have been awarded to Bear McCreary’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Season 2) in 2024, John Williams’s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny in 2023, Bear McCreary’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Season 1) in 2022, Maurizio Malagnini’s Coppelia in 2021, Christopher Willis’s The Personal History of David Copperfield in 2020, John Williams’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in 2019, John Powell’s Solo in 2018, Jonny Greenwood’s Phantom Thread in 2017, Jóhann Jóhannsson’s Arrival in 2016, and John Williams’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015

For more information about the International Film Music Critics Association go to http://www.filmmusiccritics.org, visit our Facebook page, find us on YouTube, follow us on Twitter/X @ifmca, on BlueSky @ifmca.bsky.social, or e-mail us at ifmca.main@gmail.com.