Academy Announces 2nd Year of Jonas Gwangwa Music Competition – Film News

The Academy, in collaboration with Universal Music Group’s Task Force for Meaningful Change, Mercury Studios, Universal Music Publishing Group Classics and Screen, Decca Records, and UMG’s Globe, is thrilled to announce the second year of the Jonas Gwangwa Music Composition Initiative. This career development program aims to provide Black musicians with opportunities to compose music for films.

“After an incredibly successful first year, the Academy is excited for the second year of the Jonas Gwangwa Music Composition Initiative,” said Kendra Carter, Academy senior vice president, impact and global talent development, in a statement. “Our goal for this program is to stimulate long-term career opportunities within the film industry for underrepresented musicians, and we thank our partners within Universal Music Group and our Academy members, whose passion, dedication, and expertise enable this work.”

The initiative is open to Black artists and composers with a minimum of three years of work experience as musicians, based in the U.K. and the U.S. Four participants will be selected through an application process—two from the U.K. and two from the U.S. The selected participants will gain access to Academy members across various branches to understand the filmmaking process better.

Applications for the Jonas Gwangwa Music Composition Initiative are currently open. Interested applicants can find more information on the Academy’s website.

The American Pavilion is expanding its student program to Sydney, Australia. The AmPav student intensive will be launched at SXSW-Sydney in October. The program is scheduled from October 13 to 21, offering exclusive access to festival activities at SXSW Sydney. Participants will also enjoy networking opportunities, cultural exploration in Australia, and industry insights from leaders across film, music, technology, interactive media, and more.

This initiative is open for applications from university students and recent graduates in film, media, business, journalism, event management, culinary studies, and hospitality. More details about the intensive can be found on The American Pavilion’s website.

Source: Variety