BMI Participates in the 2013 Los Angeles Film Festival

Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI), a global leader in music rights management, was in attendance at the nineteenth edition of the Los Angeles Film Festival (LAFF), taking place from June 13 through June 23. The festival, presented by Film Independent, showcases new American and international cinema and provides the movie-loving public with access to some of the most critically acclaimed filmmakers, film industry professionals and emerging new talent by bringing them together in the heart of the entertainment capital of the world.

On June 16 at Regal Cinemas in downtown L.A., BMI hosted its annual Coffee Talk, moderated by BMI Vice President of Film/TV Relations Doreen Ringer-Ross. The discussion featured BMI composers Atticus Ross (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Social Network), Brian Tyler (Iron Man 3, John Dies at the End) and David Sardy (End of Watch, Zombieland) discussing topics which included the evolution of each of their careers, their creative process, trends in film scoring, interfacing with sound design and navigating through production challenges.

The previous night, at a Master Class event titled “Gustavo Santaolalla: Music Scores That Moves Us,” the two-time Oscar-winning BMI composer discussed his work on movies such as Brokeback Mountain, Babel and Motorcycle Diaries, his journey from his native Argentina to the United States and how he balances his career as a musician with the art of composing for film. The event, which took place at the GRAMMY Museum in downtown L.A., was moderated by Elvis Mitchell, Film Independent curator at LACMA and host of KCRW’s The Treatment.

On June 19, BMI composer Kurt Oldman and BMI Senior Director of Film/TV Relations Lisa Feldman were in attendance at the world premiere of Tapia, a documentary about the life of Johnny Tapia, an awe-inspiring world champion boxer whose personal demons were as destructive as his left hook. The Oldman-scored doc is part of LAFF’s narrative competition and is composed of archival fight footage and candid, beautifully shot interviews that tell a story of tragedy, grief and redemption. Tapia was directed and produced by Eddie Alcazar, produced by Andrea Monier and executive produced by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson.

On June 20, BMI composer Cliff Martinez and BMI’s Reema Iqbal were in attendance at the Gala screening of Only God Forgives, which had its North American premiere at LAFF. The Martinez-scored film tells the tale of an American expat in Bangkok’s brutal underworld forced to deal with his mother’s obsession for vengeance after his brother’s murder. Only God Forgives is written and directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, produced by Lene Børglum and stars Ryan Gosling, Kristin Scott Thomas and Vithaya Pansringarm.

On June 24, BMI composer Rob Simonsen and BMI’s Reema Iqbal were in attendance at the Gala screening of The Way Way Back for closing night at LAFF. The Simonsen-scored film is the funny and poignant coming of age story of 14-year-old Duncan’s (Liam James) summer vacation with his mother, Pam (Toni Collette), her overbearing boyfriend, Trent (Steve Carell) and his daughter, Steph (Zoe Levin). The Way Way Back is written and directed by Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, produced by Kevin J. Waslk and Tom Rice and stars Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Allison Janney, Annasophia Robb, Sam Rockwell, Maya Rudolph, Rob Corddry, Amanda Peet and Liam James.