Kubilay Uner Receives Nomination from Society of Composers and Lyricists for 'American Traitor: The Trial of Axis Sally' Score

Composer and Director of Columbia's MFA Music Composition for the Screen program, Kubilay Uner, has been nominated in the category of Outstanding Original Score for an Independent Film.

Columbia College Chicago is thrilled to announce Kubilay Uner, Associate Professor and Music Composition for the Screen MFA program Director, was named as one of five nominees in the category of Outstanding Score for an Independent Film at the SCL Awards for his score to "American Traitor: The Trial of Axis Sally".

The Society of Composers & Lyricists, the premier organization for composers and songwriters working in visual media, is hosting the third annual SCL Awards, which celebrate excellence and innovation in music for visual media. Much like the Director’s Guild or the Writer’s Guild, the SCL Awards are the only music-for-media awards voted on entirely by working composers and songwriters.

Other composers nominated in this category include: Johnny Greenwood, Spencer; Daniel Hart, The Green Knight; Alberto Iglesias, Parallel Mothers; and Rachel Portman, Julia. 

“It is a gift to be mentioned in one breath with all these other nominees - in the Independent Film category alone, there’s one Oscar winner and two Oscar nominees,” he said. 

Kubilay also said a total of 10 faculty members, students, and alumni of the music department were credited for their contributions to the film’s score, as listed on IMDB. “Every score always does take a village - and if you’re smart, you populate your village with Columbians!”

At this time, the Society of Composers & Lyricists has postponed its awards ceremony amid the surge in Covid cases, originally scheduled for February 1 at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. A new date is yet to be determined.

You can view the full announcement and nominee list from the Hollywood Reporter here.