CASMA 2023

SCGC announces nominations for the 2023 Canadian Screen Music Awards

The Screen Composers Guild of Canada (SCGC) has announced the nominations for the second annual Canadian Screen Music Awards (CASMA). These awards honour composers for their outstanding work in media and screen-based industries and are the first to be juried and awarded by fellow composers in Canada.

(See the live stream and winner interviews from CASMA 2022 here)

In 2023, a total of 52 musical works received nominations in 11 categories covering feature film, television, animation, documentary, games and interactive media. Nominees were selected by SCGC’s roster of jurors, and the winners will be announced live at the 2023 CASMA ceremony on Thursday 26 October at the El Mocambo in Toronto.

Tickets sales open on Monday 18 September and the list of nominees is as follows.

Best Original Score, Animated Series or Special

Caleb Chan & Brian Chan – “Pinecone and Pony: The Sturdy Stone”
Erica Procunier – “The Mystery of Lookout Mountain (Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go)”
Neil Parfitt – “Super Wish: The Legend of Cake-Bun Bottom”
Peter Chapman – “Happy House of Frightenstein: Lucky Spell”
Spencer Creaghan & Neil Parfitt – “Matchbox Adventures: Season 3”

Best Original Score, Comedy Series or Special

John Rowley – “Pretty Hard Cases: Always A Bridesmaid”
Peter Chapman – “The Lake: Midsommar Madness”
Peter Chapman & Maylee Todd – “Workin’ Moms: The End”

Best Original Score, Documentary, Factual, Reality Series or Special

Andrew Gordon Macpherson – “Tales From The Territories: Andy Kaufman vs. The King of Memphis”
Ben Fox – “The Climate Baby Dilemma”
Justin Delorme – “The Nature of Things: Grizzly Rewild”
Peter Chapman – “Cross Country Cake Off: Holiday Finale”
Peter Chapman – “Mary Makes it Easy: Overnight Guests”

Best Original Score for a Documentary Feature Film

Agatha Kasper – “The Long Weekend”
Ben Fox – “Cynara”
Jonathan Kawchuk – “True Survivors”
Mark Dolmont – “Satan Wants You”
Stéphanie Hamelin Tomala – “J’ai placé ma mère (I lost my mom)”

Best Original Score, Dramatic Series or Special (Sponsored by DGC National)

Ari Posner, Amin Bhatia & Joel Schwartz – “Ride: Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace”
Caleb Chan & Brian Chan – “Panhandle: Machetes Out”
Jeff Danna – “Guillermo Del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities: Graveyard Rats”
Lora Bidner and Rob Carli – “Ruby and the Well: I Wish The Well Would Let Us Be Forever”
Spencer Creaghan – “Slasher: Ripper – The Slaughterhouse”

Best Original Score for Games and Interactive Media

Andrea Wettstein & Alec Harrison – “Windborne: Call of the Canadian Rockies”
Blake Matthews – “Tiny Colony”
Janal Bechthold – “Loki’s Castle”
Jim Guthrie – “Nobody Saves The World”

Best Original Main Title Theme Music (Sponsored by SOCAN)

Andrew Lockington – “Mayor Of Kingstown”
Brian Chan & Caleb Chan – “Builder Brothers Dream Factory”
Brian Kobayakawa – “Jackals & Fireflies”
Justin Delorme – “Diaspora”
Layal Watfeh – “Under Guardianship – Taht Al Wisaya”

Best Original Score for a Narrative Feature Film (Sponsored by Orchestral Tools)

Michelle Osis – “Fixation”
Steph Copeland – “Laced”
Steph Copeland – “Outpost”
Todor Kobakov – “Brother”
Tom Third – “The Young Arsonists”

Best Original Song (Sponsored by Music Publishers Canada)

Alexandra Petkovski & Kris Kovacs – “Deathloop: Deja Vu Remix”
Craig McConnell – “The Bullet or the Blade”
Jesse Zubot, Wayne Lavallee & Marie Clements – “You Are My Bones”
Spencer Creaghan & Milen Petzelt Sorace – “My Little Pony Make Your Mark”
Stephen Krecklo & Ashley Jane – “How Lucky Am I”

Best Original Score for a Short Film (Sponsored by Cinesamples)

Amin Bhatia – “Jane Goodall’s Reasons for Hope”
Blake Matthew – “Nahuales”
Daniela Pinto – “Diaspora”
Noora Nakhaei – “Printemps”
Suad Bushnaq – “Corvine”

Best Original Score for a Television Special

- Adrian Ellis – “Love in Wolf Creek”
- Kristjan Bergey – “Swindler Seduction”
- Medhat Hanbali – “Queen Rising”
- Sean Nimmons-Paterson & Stephen Krecklo – “Hotel for the Holidays”
- Steph Copeland – “Designing Christmas”