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Brian Tyler, composer of the “Fast and Furious” franchise, “The Avengers: Age of Ultron” and “Crazy Rich Asians,” was named a BMI Icon at Wednesday night’s 38th annual Broadcast Music Inc. Film, TV and Visual Media Awards in Beverly Hills.

Tyler is among the top 10 highest-grossing film composers of all time. His other films have included “Iron Man 3,” “Thor: The Dark World,” “Rambo,” “Charlie’s Angels” and the recent reboot of “Scream.” His TV credits include “Yellowstone,” “1883,” “Hawaii Five-0,” “Sleepy Hollow” and “Transformers: Prime.” He also wrote the Formula One racing theme and, as his alter ego Madsonik, has written and produced several songs with a contemporary edge.

“It’s just mind-blowing to now be included in that pantheon of talent,” Tyler told Variety, referring to the many previous recipients of the performing-rights organization’s highest accolade, including John Williams, Alan Silvestri, James Newton Howard, Alexandre Desplat and Terence Blanchard.

Composer Brian Tyler is set to receive BMI’s top honor, the Icon Award, as the BMI Film, TV and Visual Media Awards resume the tradition of in-person ceremonies with a dinner in May in Beverly Hills.

Also being bestowed as part of the 38th annual awards will be a BMI Impact Award given out to six female composers and lyricists — Amy Andersson, Isolde Fair, Lolita Ritmanis, Miriam Cutler, Penka Kouneva and Starr Parodi — who collectively scored “Women Warriors: The Voices of Change,” a project about women activists.

The honorary awards are in addition to dozens of competitive medallions, whose winners will be announced on the night of May 11.

The resumption of BMI’s screen awards will take place in Beverly Hills one night after the BMI Pop Awards,. Earlier this week, the performing rights organization announced that Mike Stoller and Carole Bayer Sager will be receiving Icon Awards on...

Legendary jazz musician Chick Corea died in February 2021 at age 79, a month before that year’s Grammys were held. He won both of his nominations at that event, though voting ended before his death so the awards weren’t influenced by that. This year he received four more nominations posthumously, and he ended up winning two of them. That gives the late artist a total of 27 awards in his career, which ties him for fourth place on the list of the all-time biggest winners in Grammy history. Check out the gallery above for the other artists who have won the most awards in history.

This year Corea won Best Improvised Jazz Solo for “Humpty Dumpty (Set 2)” and Best Latin Jazz Album for “Mirror Mirror.” He was also nominated for Best Jazz Instrumental Album for “Akoustic Band Live,” but that award went to “Skyline” by Ron Carter, Jack DeJohnette, and Gonzalo Rubalcaba.

Jon Batiste hauled home five trophies at the 64th Grammys, including Album of the Year for We Are. He went into the night with 11 nominations and ended up with Album of the Year, American roots performance and American roots song, best score soundtrack for visual media (in a tie with Carlos Rafael Rivera’s score for The Queen’s Gambit) and best music video for “Freedom.”

Right behind Batiste was the duo Silk Sonic, who took the night’s two other big categories: Record and Song of the Year, both for “Leave the Door Open” as well as Best R&b Performance (in a tie with Jazmine Sullivan) and Best R&b Song.

Olivia Rodrigo was named Best New Artist and also won Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Pop Solo Performance.

Other big winners included Chris Stapleton, who won for Best Country Album, Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance.

Surprises dotted the visual media categories at Tuesday morning’s Grammy Awards nomination announcements, with television dominating the original-score category but new movies ruling the compilation-soundtrack list.

As expected, H.E.R. was nominated for best song written for visual media for “Fight for You” from “Judas and the Black Messiah,” which won the Oscar earlier this year. Her fellow Oscar nominee, Leslie Odom Jr.’s “Speak Now” from “One Night in Miami,” was also nominated.

H.E.R. and her fellow “Fight for You” songwriters Dernst Emile II (aka D’Mile) and Tiara Thomas also notched a song of the year nomination, and H.E.R. earned a nod in the traditional R&b performance category for that song.

Three of the six song nominees were from television projects: the Emmy-winning “Agatha All Along” from “WandaVision,” “All Eyes on Me” from “Inside Bo Burnham” and “All I Know So Far” from the Pink documentary by that title.

Holland Film Meeting is the industry strand of the Netherlands Film Festival.

Paula van der Oest’s €9m English-language drama Mata Hari is among the films being presented during the Holland Film Meeting’s projects programme, the industry side of this year’s Netherlands Film Festival, which begins today (September 24) in Utrecht. It will run until October 2.

Van der Oest, promised a ”feminist approach” to the subject matter. “Most of the existing Mata Hari films are told from a male perspec­tive,” she told Screen. “They focus on Mata Hari being a glam­orous and exotic spy. A dangerous temptress,...

Burbank, CA – Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and DC are celebrating the 25th anniversary of Superman: The Animated Series with a fully remastered Blu-rayTM box set. Superman: The Complete Animated Series, which includes several hours of bonus features headlined by an all-new documentary detailing the creation of one of the most beloved animated Super Hero cartoons in history, will be available starting October 12, 2021.

Produced by Warner Bros. Animation (Wba), the Emmy Award-winning Superman: The Animated Series was the perfect follow-up to the landmark Batman: the Animated Series. Producers Bruce Timm, Paul Dini and Alan Burnett elevated The Man of Steel’s animated presence with an imaginative, heartfelt look at Superman’s adventures in Metropolis alongside Lois Lane and opposite the villainous likes of Lex Luthor, Brainiac, Darkseid and more. Premiering on September 6, 1996, the series continued Wba’s dominance in Super Hero animation, once again setting new standards for storytelling, art direction...

Nearly all of Oscar’s 2020 original-song nominees are newcomers, while only two of this morning’s original-score nominees are new to the competition.

Veteran songwriter Diane Warren earned her 12th nomination for “Io Sì (Seen)” from “The Life Ahead,” shared with singer and co-lyricist Laura Pausini. She must be seen as the front-runner, as she has never won in over three decades of nominations; and she won the Golden Globe on Feb. 28.

Leslie Odom Jr., also nominated this morning for playing singer Sam Cooke in “One Night in Miami,” earned a second nomination as the writer of that film’s closing song, “Speak Now,” shared with Sam Ashworth.

All of the other song nominees are first-timers at the Academy Awards. British composer Daniel Pemberton received a nod for “Hear My Voice” for the film he scored, “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” shared with vocalist and co-writer Celeste.

H.E.R., fresh...

When Lolita Ritmanis was a little girl in Portland, Oregon, she didn’t even speak English. She spoke the native tongue of her parents, who fled the terrors of Communist Latvia in the years following World War II.

Now an Emmy-winning composer (and bilingual), she is on the Oscar shortlist for best original score for her rich orchestral and choral score for “Blizzard of Souls,” a World War I epic produced in her parents’ native country.

As Oscar voting begins today, Ritmanis is an admitted long shot for a nomination. But her win Tuesday night at the Society of Composers & Lyricists’ virtual ceremony, in the independent feature score category, ups her chances considerably. And a review of the past 20 years of Oscar score nominations reveals at least eight that contained “dark horse” nominees.

“It’s a huge cinematic break, coming from my parents’ homeland,” Ritmanis tells Variety, noting that she...

“Da 5 Bloods” Terence Blanchard, a Grammy-winning jazz musician who earned his first Oscar nomination two years ago for Spike Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman,” has an idea about how to boost diversity in Hollywood music — and give more talented women and musicians of color an opportunity to score films.

“What we should do is have blind auditions. Listen to some music and tell me if it was written by a woman or a person of color, because you would know much better than me,” Blanchard said during a panel of Oscar-shortlisted film composers as part of TheWrap’s Awards Screening Series. “For me…it’s not about gender and it’s not about race. It’s about who is bringing a unique voice to the project.”

Despite his own success in Hollywood, Blanchard believes that his race has sometimes hurt his job prospects. “I’ve had people who wanted to hire...

Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars from Film Awards Editor Clayton Davis. Following Academy Awards history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Oscar predictions are updated regularly with the current year's contenders in all categories. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four phases, running all year long: Draft, Pre-Season, Regular Season and Post Season. Eligibility calendar and dates of awards will determine how long each phase lasts and will be displayed next to revision date.

To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit The Collective

Draft>>>Pre Season>>>Regular Season>>>Post Season

2021 Oscars Predictions:

Best Original Score

Updated: Mar. 4, 2021

Awards Prediction Commentary: There’s movement about but “News of the World” and “Soul” still look like the two favorites in the race. “Minari” and “The Midnight Sky” have the fresh take and familiarity this category goes for.

For much of her career, composer Lolita Ritmanis dreamed of tackling an “epic” Latvian film, in tribute to her heritage as a Latvian-American. In 2019, she finally was able to do so with Blizzard of Souls, penning deeply affecting music, which landed her on the Oscars’ shortlist for Best Original Score.

Directed by Dzintars Dreibergs, the adaptation of Aleksandrs Grīns’ 1934 novel of the same name centers on Arturs (Oto Brantevics), a 16-year-old who enlists as a rifleman in the Imperial Russian Army, going on to witness the horrors of World War I. For the historical drama, Ritmanis wrote 75 minutes’ worth of music, which would be performed by a full symphony orchestra and the award-winning State Choir Latvija.

Strangely, while Blizzard of Souls is exceptional on the whole, its score alone is what has resonated widely stateside. While the feature was selected as Latvia’s entry for Best International Feature Film, its...

It was definitely an evening of “soul” at the second annual Society of Composers & Lyricists Awards, as the Pixar film “Soul” and the Latvian film “Blizzard of Souls” took the top prizes for outstanding original scores for 2020 films.

The “Soul” composing trio of Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste won for outstanding original score for a studio film, their second such prize in 48 hours after winning the Golden Globe Sunday night. Should it maintain this momentum through other ceremonies in the weeks to come, “Soul” could be the film to beat at Oscar time.

Batiste, music director for TV’s “Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” contributed the jazz material for the story about an aspiring jazz pianist whose life is cut short by an accident. Reznor and Ross wrote the dramatic score. Reznor and Ross, who were also nominated this year for “Mank,” are best known for their Nine...

Of all the below-the-line categories at the Oscars, Best Original Score is the most difficult to predict early on due to the finicky nature of the music branch of the academy. Scores that sound like frontrunners are disqualified for a variety of reasons, from the number of credited composers to the amount of previously recorded music used. (Scroll down for the most up-to-date 2021 Oscar predictions for Best Original Score.)

Even when we know the players, it is still difficult to predict the eventual winner given the diversity of the recent champs. The epic orchestrations of Howard Shore‘s “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” (2002) and “Lotr: The Return of the King” (2004) sound nothing like A.H. Rahman‘s pulsating, Bombay-infused work on “Slumdog Millionaire” (2009), Alexander Desplat‘s whimsical tunes for “The Grand Budapest Hotel” (2015) or Hildur Guonadottir‘s pulsating rhythms in “Joker” (2020).

As with many of...

The Academy Awards’ shortlists are a blessing and a curse.

Blessing in that it truly helps awards strategists and publicists hone their efforts and marketing dollars toward a sampling of candidates in the final run-up to nominations. In the case of the Music Branch and the Original Score category, film scores typically are punished over quota rules, i.e. this year a film’s music needs to be composed of 60% of original score, versus 50% in prior years. Also, if any of the music was ever pre-conceived in another medium, not specifically written for the film, then forget it. You’re disqualified. For example, a bulk of Mark Orton’s haunting, folksy score from Alexander Payne’s 2013 feature Nebraska were from tracks the composer wrote previously, despite the cues’ electricity in the black-and-white dramedy starring Will Forte, Bruce Dern and June Squibb.

When it comes to the Academy’s Music Branch and how it qualifies scores,...

The shortlists for the Academy Awards’ two music categories are out, and while there are few surprises among the 375-member music branch’s 15 choices for best original score, there’s a remarkable shift in the original song category: Nearly half of the 15 songs on that list emerged from narrative films or documentaries whose casts or subjects were predominantly Black.

Most of these songs had already been tagged as leading contenders, even though it was hardly a certainty they’d all make the shortlist. Among them: Janelle Monae’s “Turntables” from the voter-suppression doc “All In: The Fight for Democracy,” Mary J. Blige’s “See What You’ve Done” from the prison-sterilization documentary “Belly of the Beast,” John Legend’s “Never Break” from the young-actor doc “Giving Voice,” Leslie Odom Jr.’s “Speak Now” from “One Night in Miami,” H.E.R.’s “Fight for You” from “Judas and the Black Messiah” and...

The team of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross leads all nominees for the second annual Society of Composers and Lyricists Awards, the organization of scorers and songwriters active in visual media.

The composing duo (who won an Oscar 10 years ago for “The Social Network” and an Emmy last year for “Watchmen”) received three nominations. They were cited for outstanding original score for a studio film for both their 2020 films, Netflix’s “Mank” and Disney-Pixar’s “Soul.” They share the “Soul” nod with composer Jon Batiste, who contributed the jazz threaded throughout the film.

Reznor and Ross received a third nomination, for outstanding original song for visual media, for their song “(If Only You Could) Save Me,” written for “Mank.”

Scl’s list is notable for the dominance of women composers in the category of outstanding original score for an independent film — three of the five nominees: Lolita Ritmanis for the...

Songs or scores from “Soul,” “Minari,” “Tenet,” “News of the World,” “”Euphoria” and “The Queen’s Gambit” were among the winners Wednesday night at the 11th annual (and first virtual) Hollywood Music in Media Awards.

Breaking down categories by genre affords the HMMAs the opportunity to cast a wide net in its awards. Film-related trophies went to James Newton Howard for “News of the World,” for outstanding score in a feature film; Emile Mosseri for “Minari” in the independent film category; Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste for “Soul” as the outstanding animated film score; Ludwig Göransson’s work on “Tenet” for sci-fi/fantasy score; Benjamin Wallfisch’s “The Invisible Man” score in the horror division; and Steven Price for documentary score for Netflix’s “David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet.”

(Although it’s not yet certain how the Oscars will handle the different musical contributions of Batiste and Reznor/Ross for “Soul,...

A naïve teenager comes of age amid the carnage of World War I’s Eastern Front in this propulsive adaptation of Aleksandrs Grins’ 1934 patriotic classic “Blizzard of Souls.” With its muscular direction by former documentarian Dzintars Dreibergs, atmospheric cinematography and careful attention to period detail, this account of a troop of Latvian Riflemen fighting first for the Russian Imperial Army against invading German forces and then for an independent Latvia should appeal to WWI buffs and fans of Sam Mendes’ “1917.” While not quite in the same league as Liviu Ciulei’s “Forest of the Hanged” or Stanley Kubrick’s “Paths of Glory,” Latvia’s Oscar submission — which set box office records in its native country — does contain a strong message about the futility of war.

After German forces kill his mother on the family farm, the not-quite-17-year-old schoolboy Arturs and his aging father (Martins Vilsons), a sharp-shooting former sergeant,...

The composers of ‘Little Women’, ‘Joker’ and ‘It Chapter Two’ scores also nominated.

The World Soundtrack Awards has unveiled the nominations for its 20th edition, which is set is to go ahead as a physical event as well as being streamed live and online for the first time.

Scroll down for full list of nominees

The nominees for the coveted Film Composer of the Year award include Alexandre Desplat (Little Women), Hildur Guðnadóttir (Joker), Thomas Newman (1917), Benjamin Wallfisch (It Chapter Two) and John Williams (Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker).

The contenders were all Oscar-nominated earlier this year, with the...

Quick. Name a female film composer. Right… a woman.

Who? Fanny… Mendelssohn? No sorry, she was Felix’ sister and pre-dated the cinema industry by about two generations.

The fact is, you may not know any by name. Because while women in the entertainment industry have made historic gains in representation both on and off camera, the percentage of film composers who are women has remained dismal. According to a study published Wednesday by USC Annenberg’s Inclusion Initiative, female composers worked on just 1.4% of the 100 top-grossing films for each of the last 12 years. And the last woman to win an Oscar for a movie score was Anne Dudley for 1997’s “The Full Monty” — more than two decades ago.

It’s a sad statistic for any industry, let alone one that prides itself on diversity.

Also Read: Women Nabbed More Lead Roles in Top 2018 Films - But Still Less Than a...

Burbank, CA – Batman Beyond, the landmark animated television series that illuminated the imagination of a new generation of Batman fans with its creation of an altogether new hero, is celebrating its 20th anniversary – and you get the gift! Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has remastered the heralded series for its first-ever presentation on Blu-ray in the all-encompassing Batman Beyond: The Complete Animated Series Limited Edition, arriving on Digital starting October 15, 2019 and in a stunning box set on October 29, 2019. Distribution in Canada will be day-and-date with the USA, Pre-orders are now available.

The extraordinary Batman Beyond: The Complete Animated Series Limited Edition package features approximately 1,500 minutes of entertainment spread over four Blu-ray discs, plus the two bonus discs of enhanced content. In addition to a newly-remastered Blu-ray presentation of Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, there are 15 featurettes on the bonus discs, highlighted by two new inside looks at the beloved television series,...

Over a single opening weekend, composer Pinar Toprak smashed all previous box-office records for women composers in film. She scored “Captain Marvel,” which made $153 million domestically.

Until now, the top-grossing films by women composers were Rachel Portman’s “The Vow,” which made $125 million domestic in 2012, and Deborah Lurie’s “Dear John,” $80 million back in 2010 — and those sums were for the theatrical lifetime of the films, not just a weekend.

The lack of work for female composers has been a frequent topic of conversation in film-music circles since the 2014 formation of the Alliance for Women Film Composers, which now boasts more than 400 members.

According to the latest “Celluloid Ceiling” statistics from the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film, just 6 percent of the 250 top-grossing films of 2018 had scores by women — but that number was double the 3 percent found in the list of 2017 films.

Last year’s 15-film Oscar...

Starr Parodi was elected new president of the Alliance for Women Film Composers on Sunday, succeeding Lolita Ritmanis.

Parodi — who first came to prominence as a member of the “Arsenio Hall Show” house band — has extensive television credits including “The Division,” “The Starter Wife,” “G.I. Joe: Renegades” and “Transformers: Rescue Bots,” along with film credits including “Conversations With Other Women” and music for hundreds of movie trailers.

Her version of the James Bond Theme, created for the “GoldenEye” trailer with composing partner Jeff Eden Fair, was widely acclaimed and earned gold-record status in 2004 as part of the “Best of Bond” CD collection.

Parodi was the first woman to compose orchestral music for the 85-year-old Pageant of the Masters in Laguna Beach, where she continues to be a featured composer. Her recent neoclassical album “The Heart of Frida,” celebrating the spirit of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, won Solo Piano Album of...

Two major performance-rights organizations announced this week the launch of workshops designed to aid up-and-coming film and TV composers: Ascap, for film scoring; and Bmi, for conducting.

Both are multi-week events for which hundreds apply annually, and the two will culminate in live recording sessions at Los Angeles area studios later this month.

Ascap began its 30th annual Film Scoring Workshop today, with Emmy-winning composer Richard Bellis as mentor and Ascap film and TV executives Michael Todd and Jennifer Harmon producing.

It’s a comprehensive, four-week program that has proven a launching pad for many composers in the past, including Jim Dooley (“Pushing Daisies”), Rob Duncan (“Castle”), Matthew Margeson (the “Kingsman” movies), Cliff Martinez (“Drive”), Mateo Messina (“Juno”) and Austin Wintory (“Journey”).

This year’s 12 composers — chosen from nearly 400 applicants — include Shaun Crawford of Cape Town, South Africa; Damien Lane of Cambewarra, Australia; Kyle Laporte of Playa Del Rey, Calif.

Legendary composer John Williams accepted a new award, named after him, “in recognition of his incomparable status as one of the greatest film and television composers of our time,” at Wednesday night’s Film, TV and Visual Media Awards of Broadcast Music Inc. (Bmi) in Beverly Hills.

The creator of such iconic movie themes as “Jaws,” “E.T.” and the musical signatures of the “Star Wars,” “Indiana Jones” and “Harry Potter” franchises had already received the organization’s top honor (the Bmi Icon) in 1999, so the performing-rights society invented a new one, which the 86-year-old composer said he would “humbly accept, with a little embarrassment but a lot of gratitude.”

Speaking exclusively to Variety before the ceremony, Williams acknowledged that “in the last year or two, awards seem to be coming along,” cracking, “It must have something to do with being so old, they must think now is the time.

Composer John Williams will be honored for his 60-year career by Broadcast Music Inc. (Bmi) at its 34th annual Film, TV and Visual Media Awards. The event is scheduled for May 9 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills.

Williams will receive “a special award, bearing his name, in recognition of his incomparable status as one of the greatest film and television composers of our time,” the performance rights organization announced.

Said Bmi Vice President, Creative Doreen Ringer-Ross: “By continuing to create and add to his prolific body of work, he’s made a lasting impression on music lovers around the world, and an entire community of composers who he continues to inspire. Because of this, and for all that he has given the world of music and beyond, we felt it was appropriate to honor John with this special award.”

Williams, 86, recently received his 51st Oscar nomination, for scoring “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

Water Tower Music announced today the October 6 release of two titles: Batman and Harley Quinn: Music From The DC Universe Original Movie And Batman Vs. Two-Face: Music From The DC Animated Movie. The albums feature the movie’s original score by Dynamic Music Partners (Dmp), a team of 3 composers who previously scored Batman Beyond. The soundtracks will be available at all digital music providers and on CD exclusively at Fye stores. “We’re thrilled that WaterTower Music is releasing soundtracks for two of our current projects: Batman & Harley Quinn and Batman vs. Two-Face!” explained the three Emmy Award-winning composers Michael McCuistion, Lolita Ritmanis and Kristopher Carter, collectively known as Dynamic Music Partners. “The “Batman vs. Two-Face” score gave us one final opportunity to honor the late Adam West as Batman, with all the Bams! Zings! and Pows! made famous by the original television series music written by musical...

Warner Animation’s just-released Batman and Harley Quinn is an interesting project from the standpoint of it being a more mature sequel to the Batman: The Animated Series while still fitting into the now cohesive DC Animated Universe. It has the look and feel of the classic series while the content and themes are vastly different in keeping with Harley’s prominence in all-things DC these days along with upping the stakes in a longer production.

That said, the production is very entertaining and a welcome 30th film in the line of animated projects (the DC Universe: 10th Anniversary Collection is expected in November).

It’s a lot of fun to have Bruce Timm, Harley’s co-creator back in action as a co-scriptwriter. Sam Liu is also back to direct so we have a lot of veteran talent to bring tremendous affection to the project and it shows in every detail.

In 1984 (or thereabouts) Alan Moore was asked to write a Batman one-shot for artist Brian Bolland. Between the arrival of the script and the publication of the Prestige Format Batman: The Killing Joke, Moore went on to become the most popular and best-selling comics writer of the decade. One of the reasons was that unlike his peers, he dug deeply into what made the heroes and villains tick and how they related to one another.

As a result of the strong writing and the brilliant artwork, the one-shot went on to become an acclaimed title that has remained in print ever since. Its little surprise, then, that Warner Animation finally turned their attention to adapting it for their direct-to-video line of films. They sparred little expense, bringing in crime writer Brian Azzarello and reuniting the popular Batman: The Animated Series vocal duo of Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill. Warner even...

Music is an integral part of filmmaking, moving the story and touching the audience. Where would iconic movies such as Star Wars, Avatar, The Godfather, or Gone with the Wind be without its music? Would Downton Abbey, Dexter, or House of Cards be the same and have audiences glued to their TVs without music? Would gamers immerse into Final Fantasy or Legend of Zelda if they were silent? Movie music has moved us all to cheer, cry, and fall in love for more than 100 years. Yet the vast majority of composers hired to create this vital part of Hollywood’s cultural landscape have been men. Well, that musical glass ceiling is about to crack!

Grand Performances, the “Best Free Outdoor Summer Concert Series” in Los Angeles and the Alliance for Women Film Composers team up celebrate the music of women composers in film, television, video games and interactive media at...

A total of 16 features will receive funding from the country’s national film centre.Scroll down for full list of projects

Latvia is celebrating the country’s centennial in 2018 by funding a slate of 16 feature-length films.

With a total budget of $8.5m (€7.5m) from the National Film Centre of Latvia, an independent jury selected projects out of 31 submissions in a bid to highlight a wide range of filmmaking talent and genres from the country.

The selected projects - six features, two animation films, eight documentaries - go into production this year and will premiere in 2018.

National Film Centre director Dita Rietuma said: “Our aim was to select artistically high-quality films of diverse genres and significant for society by examining Latvia’s national identity and history.

“We are especially happy to note that the selection includes as many as nine female directors from various generations such as one of our leading directors Inara Kolmane (Billie), but also newcomers...

Yay! One of my favorite animated films of 2014 topped the recently announced 2014 Annie Awards honoring excellence in the field of animation. Graham Annable and Anthony Stacchi's "The Boxtrolls" received 12 nominations including Best Animated Feature. The winners will be announced at a black tie ceremony on Saturday, January 31, 2015 at UCLA.s Royce Hall. For more information on the Annie Awards, click here.

Here's the full list of nominees for the 2015 Annie Awards

Production Categories

Best Animated Feature

Big Hero 6 - Walt Disney Animation Studios

Cheatin' - Plymptoons Studio

How to Train Your Dragon 2 - DreamWorks Animation

Song of the Sea - Gkids/Cartoon Saloon

The Book of Life - Reel FX

The Boxtrolls - Focus Features/Laika

The Lego Movie -Warner Bros. Pictures

The Tale of The Princess Kaguya - Gkids/Studio Ghibli

Best Animated Special Production

Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey - Voyager Pictures LLC

Dawn of the...

Monday morning, the International Animated Film Society, Asifa-Hollywood, announced nominations today for its 42nd Annual Annie Awards, recognizing the year’s best in the field of animation. Leading the pack with 13 nominations, including a nod for Best Animated Feature, is Laika Animation's "The Boxtrolls." Dreamworks Animation's "How to Train Your Dragon 2" followed with 10 nominations, joining "Boxtrolls" in the Character Animation, Animation Effects, and Best Feature categories. Rounding out the organization's big prize are "Big Hero 6" (seven nominations), "Cheatin'" (three), "Song of the Sea" (seven), "The Book of Life" (five), "The Lego Movie" (six), and "The Tale of Kaguya" (three). The Annie Awards also announced nominations in TV, video game and short subject categories. “We had a steady increase in submissions this year and I am excited to say it’s going to be a great awards ceremony,” remarked Asifa-Hollywood Executive Director, Frank Gladstone. “We added a new category...

Big Hero 6, Cheatin’, How to Train Your Dragon 2, Song Of The Sea, The Book Of Life, The Boxtrolls, The Lego Movie and The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya have been nominated in the top category for the International Animated Film Society, Asifa-Hollywood’s 42nd annual Annie Awards. The Annies cover 36 categories and include Best Animated Feature, Best Animated Special Production, Commercials, Short Subjects and Outstanding Individual Achievements. The winners will be announced January 31 at UCLA’s Royce Hall. Here’s the full list of noms:

Best Animated Feature

Big Hero 6

Walt Disney Animation Studios

Cheatin’

Plymptoons Studio

How to Train Your Dragon 2

DreamWorks Animation

Song of the Sea

Gkids/Cartoon Saloon

The Book of Life

Reel FX

The Boxtrolls

Focus Features/Laika

The Lego Movie

Warner Bros. Pictures

The Tale of The Princess Kaguya

Gkids/Studio Ghibli

Best Animated Special Production

Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey

Voyager...

Limited Edition Of 3000 Units

Buy this CD today!

Music by Shirley Walker, Carlos Rodriguez, Peter Tomashek, Todd Hayen, Harvey R. Cohen, Michael McCuistion, Lars Clutterham, Stuart Balcomb, Mark Koval, Lolita Ritmanis, Richard Bronskill, Tamara Kline, Carl Johnson, Steve Chesne and James Stemple

About the CD: La-La Land Records, Warner Bros., Warner Bros. Animation and DC Comics proudly present Batman The Animated Series: Volume 3, a limited edition 4-cd Set of unforgettable musical moments from the acclaimed Batman The Animated Series. These remarkable scores are game-changers in the world of television animation music, packing supercharged thrills, chills, action and drama within an emotional, musical whirlwind that rivals most blockbuster film scores. Music from such notable episodes as Robin’S Reckoning, Eternal Youth, Day Of The Samurai, Mudslide, The Clock King and more are presented here in a knockout compilation with a combined running time of more than five hours! Produced by John Takis and Neil S. Bulk,...

You can buy this CD today

About the CD: La-La Land Pictures, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation present the original soundtrack to the Warner Bros. Animated Television Series Young Justice, as aired on Cartoon Network. Composers Kristopher Carter, Michael McCuistion & Lolita Ritmanis (Batman: The Brave And The Bold, Ben 10: Ultimate Alien, Teen Titans, Batman Beyond) fashion an exhilarating superhero score that is every bit as bold, fresh and exciting as this hit animated series. This compilation brings together must-have musical highlights of the show's first season, as well as the second season, Young Justice: Invasion. Produced by the composers and mastered by Doug Schwartz, this is dramatic, action-packed music that makes for a thrilling standalone listen! CD booklet features reversible cover art and in-depth, exclusive liner notes by film music writer John Takis that contain comments from the composers and the animation team!

Our Take: If there is...

The much anticipated Batman: The Brave and the Bold musical episode featuring Neil Patrick Harris titled "Mayhem of the Music Meister!" finally aired in the Us this past weekend. It was, in a word, hysterical. Not to mention sporting some very catchy tunes, as well. It's official: every show on television needs a musical episode where Neil Patrick Harris guest stars, because this one proved to be fantastic.

If you enjoyed the wacky songs on the episode, they're actually available in a soundtrack that was released Friday, featuring 8 songs from the episode. Buy/download it here—full track list after the jump.

1. "Batman: The Brave And The Bold Theme" -- Andy Sturmer (0:32)

2. "I'm The Music Meister" -- Neil Patrick Harris, Grey DeLisle, John Di Maggio, Kevin Michael Richardson, Dee Bradley Baker, James Arnold Taylor, Michael McCuistion (5:54)

3. "Drive Us Bats" -- Neil Patrick Harris, Grey DeLisle, John Di Maggio,...

As if former child actor Neil Patrick Harris wasn't on enough of a career roll with break-out turns in the Harold and Kumar movies and the sitcom How I Met Your Mother, lately he's somehow even managed to make showtunes seem hip, drawing raves as the host of both the Tony and Emmy Award ceremonies and starring in Joss Whedon's 2008 internet video sensation Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.

This Friday, Harris brings his considerable vocal and musical talents to "Mayhem of the Music Meister!," an episode of the Cartoon Network's animated series Batman: The Brave & The Bold.

Harris stars as the evil Music Meister, determined to overthrow Gotham City with his beguiling singing voice.  Soon the entire cast, including Jeff Bennett as Batman, Grey Delisle as Black Canary and James Arnold Taylor as Green Arrow, is under the Music Meister's charms (and responding in their own singing voices...