Creaghan, Binette Mercier, Pratte, Garcia are Top Winners in SOCAN Foundation Awards for A-V Composers

TORONTO, Aug. 10, 2015 /CNW/ - The SOCAN Foundation today announced eight recipients of the fifth annual SOCAN Foundation Awards for Young Audio-visual Composers.

This year's competition attracted 46 entries, awarding $21,000 to eight prizewinners. "This is a unique competition, the only one of its kind in Canada," says Rick MacMillan, Manager, SOCAN Foundation. "It offers us an excellent opportunity to spotlight the many talented composers working in Canada's vibrant film and television industries, including this year's first prize-winners, Andrew Creaghan, Antoine Binette Mercier, Vincent L. Pratte and Isaias Garcia."

The SOCAN Foundation Awards for Young Audio-visual Composers recognize Canadian composers 30 years of age and under for four categories of music created exclusively for audio-visual support (film, TV, Internet). The competition was judged by a jury of three prominent media composers: Pete Coulman of Toronto, ON, Marc Ouellette of Montreal, QC, (recently elected SOCAN Foundation President) and Mike Shields of Calgary, AB.

The jury members praised Andrew Creaghan's score for Lola, a short film that relates the story of a 24-year-old girl who feels all control of her life slipping away from her, which won Creaghan the $3,000 first prize in the Fiction category. Pete Coulman found it "intriguing" and remarked on the "uniqueness of the sound palette." Marc Ouellette was impressed with the "superb overall production quality."

Antoine Binette Mercier's score for the documentary Le Nez, which details how scents are intimately connected to our emotions and memories, also gripped the jury. Mike Shields was "won over by its originality" and Pete Coulman remarked on the composer's "nice choice of instruments, behind a very active voice-over."

Other $3,000 first-prize winners were Vincent L. Pratte for his airy music in the stop-action short Blossom (Animated film category), which Mike Shields found "emotionally engaging" and Isaias Garcia for the short film The Path (Musical Theme category), which Marc Ouellette called "a most convincing signature identity for the film."

Pratte, who has won multiple awards in this competition over the past several years, also shared the second prize in the Fiction category with Eli Bennett ($1,500 for each composer) for his score for the film Trenches (Bennett was recognized for his contributions to the film Jobless), and Garcia was honoured with a shared third prize in the Fiction category, also for The Path, along with Maya Postepski for her work on Closet Monster (each composer wins $750). Garcia also took the $750 third prize in the Animated category for his music for the video game Dream Revenant.

Additional Award recipients include Eli Bennett (second prize) and Max Henry (third prize) in the Non-fiction category; and Karine Bétournay (second prize) in the Animated category.

About the SOCAN Foundation Awards for Young Audio-visual Composers
The SOCAN Foundation Awards for Young Audio-visual Composers is open to Canadian citizens 30 years of age and under.

About SOCAN Foundation
Founded in 1992, SOCAN Foundation is dedicated to fostering musical creativity and promoting a better understanding of the role of music creators in today's society. SOCAN Foundation is an independent organization guided by its own board of directors. The board, which consists of composers, songwriters and music publishers, reflects concert music and popular music genres as well as the geographic and linguistic regions of Canada. It is closely aligned to the interests of the members of SOCAN - the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada.

2015 SOCAN FOUNDATION AWARDS FOR YOUNG AUDIO-VISUAL COMPOSERS - RECIPIENT LIST

View winners' biographies

Best Original Score: Fiction

First Prize: $3,000 - Spencer Creaghan, 23, London, ON - Lola (director Mathew Murray)

Second Prize (shared): $1,500 - Eli Bennett, 26, New Westminster, BC - Jobless (director Joseph Aceves)

Second Prize (shared): $1,500 - Vincent L. Pratte, 28, Los Angeles, CA - Trenches (director Caroline Friend)

Third Prize (shared): $750 - Isaias Garcia, 24, Toronto, ON - The Path (director Emily Jenkins)

Third Prize (shared): $750 - Maya Postepski, 29, Toronto, ON - Closet Monster (director Stephen Dunn)

Best Original Score Non-Fiction

First Prize: $3,000 - Antoine Binette Mercier, 28, Montreal, QC - Le Nez (director Kim Nguyen)

Second Prize: $1,500 - Eli Bennett, 26, New Westminster, BC - Believe: The True Story of Real Bearded Santas (directors John Paget and James Waugh)

Third Prize: $750 - Max Henry, 28, Montreal, QC - The Secret World of Gold (director Brian McKenna)

Best Original Score: Animated

First Prize: $3,000 - Vincent L. Pratte, 28, Los Angeles, CA - Blossom (director Esperanza Guevara)

Second Prize: $1,500 - Karine Bétournay, 29, Montreal, QC - Petit Homme (director Amy Joycey)

Third Prize: $750 - Isaias Garcia, 24, Toronto, ON - Dream Revenant (score for video game)

Best Original Musical Theme (opening or closing)

First Prize: $3,000 - Isaias Garcia, 24, Toronto, ON - The Path (director Emily Jenkins)

Second Prize: Not awarded

Third Prize: Not awarded

SOURCE SOCAN Foundation

Media Contact: Rick MacMillan, 416-445-8700, ext. 3815, [email protected]