Variety Staff | Variety
Composer Terence Blanchard will receive the TIFF Variety Artisan Award at the TIFF Tribute Awards, scheduled to air Sept. 15 on CTV.
The news was announced Wednesday by Joana Vicente and Cameron Bailey, the co-heads of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). The Variety artisan award acknowledges a successful member of the entertainment industry each year for their work in film and entertainment as a whole. It was awarded to cinematographer Roger Deakins last year.
Some of Blanchard’s recent film credits include “Da 5 Bloods,” “Harriet” and “BlacKkKlansman,” the latter of which earned him an Oscar nomination for best original score. He has also earned six Grammy awards throughout the duration of his career.
“For over 25 years Terence Blanchard has composed some of the most breathtaking and moving scores in film and television,” said Vicente. “From his frequent work with Spike Lee on ’25th Hour,’ ‘BlacKkKlansman’ and most recently ‘Da 5 Bloods,’ and Kasi Lemmons on ‘Eve’s Bayou’ and last year’s ‘Harriet,’ he has created musical wonders for audiences and helped to elevate every project he has been a part of. We are thrilled to be honouring him with the TIFF Variety Artisan Award and to showcase his dynamic work, including One Night in Miami and Bruised, both of which we look forward to sharing with our TIFF audiences this September.”
Blanchard composed Regina King’s “One Night in Miami” and Halle Berry’s “Bruised,” both of which are films screening this year at TIFF. “Bruised” will have its world premiere at the festival, which runs Sept. 10 to 19. He also composed music for HBO’s “Perry Mason” this year.
“Terence Blanchard has a musical genius that is just unparalleled — his scores have amplified the energy, sincerity, and drama of each of the incredible projects in his mesmerizing body of
work,” said Steven Gaydos, executive vice president of content at Variety. “His groundbreaking craft has changed musical appreciation as we know it. He continues time and time again, through sound, to change the way in which stories are told to audiences.”
Kate Winslet and Sir Anthony Hopkins will receive this year’s TIFF tribute actor awards, Chloé Zhao will take home the TIFF Ebert director award and Mira Nair will be given the Jeff Skoll award in impact media.
The 2020 TIFF Tribute Awards are produced by Bell Media Studios in partnership with the Toronto International Film Festival. Emmanuel Groneveldt is the director of entertainment production and an executive producer alongside Chris Perez.