HARPA Nordic Film Composers Award 2019 goes to composer Davíð Þór Jónsson and his director Benedikt Erlingsson.
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Concluding an Award Show at the beautiful Auditorium of the Felleshus of Nordische Botschaften, Tuesday February 12th 2019 HARPA Nordic Film Composers Award was handed out for the 9th time as a part of Nordic Film Music Days 2019.
 
Nomination text
This year's five nominated scores for the HARPA Nordic Film Composers Award were vastly different between them but separately they were truly the perfect fit for the stories they were composed for. 
 
A supernatural drama from Norway, THELMA, fused atmospheric electronic elements with beautiful acoustic melodic lines. A Danish tale, QEDA, set on a dystopian future, was equally served by a score that was cruising between the ambient evocative score and the immersive sound design. On the contrary the story of GOLIAT didn't want to evoke the audience but to awaken it, like its protagonist, gradually, powerfully yet subtly. The nominated score from Finland, for the high concept of the historical drama, LAUGH OR DIE, from its first frame set the tone of a lyrical, comical and tragic journey, all at the same time. And similarly the determined Icelandic female lead of WOMAN AT WAR, was accompanied by her own... band, that set the tone not only to her story, and the narrative's rhythm, but the character itself, too.  
This exact last element, together with the exquisite originality of the score and its usage within the film, has lead the jury of the HARPA Nordic Film Composers Award to give the best score award to WOMAN AT WAR. In film scoring the criteria are never solely musical but also include the creative collision of the craftsmanship of a director and a composer. Hence, specifically this year's award goes to both the director composer Davíð Þór Jónsson and the director Benedikt Erlingsson, for the distinct and highly original result their collaboration generated both musically and visually. With this Award this year we wish to further encourage the filmmakers to see music as a significant element of the story that elevates the story's impact and not just as a formulaic ingredient that becomes somewhat important during post-production.
 
Jury
Composer Christine Aufderhaar (Switzerland)
Filmmusic agent George Christopoulos (Greece) 
Festival manager Florian Vollmers (Germany)