Hildur Guðnadóttir Becomes First Solo Female Composer To Claim Golden Globe For Best Original Score

Hildur Guðnadóttir won Best Original Score for her work on the critically acclaimed film ‘Joker’ – the first (solo) woman to claim the award in the 77th Annual Golden Globes.

Image: Paul Drinkwater — NBCUniversal / Getty Images

It’s fair to say that inclusivity in the film industry when it comes to female creatives is poor at best – while there has been a steady rise in recognition of extremely talented female directors (albeit the recognition doesn’t seem to extend to award ceremonies, in a move criticised by many), the employment and recognition of women in other aspects of film industries is extremely limited.

This isn’t at all due to a lack of incredibly skilled creatives, rather an ingrained sexism / discrimination that continues to plague every creative industry, and while slowly improving, the severity of the issue still stands. One category in particular which is extremely lacking, (and not limited to the film industry) is the celebration of incredible female composers – who are often pushed under the radar.

Although still lacking in representation in many areas, the 2020 Golden Globes award ceremony saw an exciting win for Icelandic composer, producer and cellist Hildur Guðnadóttir, who now stands as the first solo female composer to win Best Original Score for her work on the critically acclaimed film ‘Joker’ starring Joaquin Phoenix as the titular character. Since the inception of the Golden Globes in 1944, only one other woman has won the award – Lisa Gerrard claimed the prize in collaboration with Hans Zimmer in 2001 – for 2000’s Gladiator.

Hildur Guðnadóttir’s win makes her the first woman to claim the award without any collaborators – while a wonderful achievement, we hope that it doesn’t take another 77 years for a solo female composer to be publicly recognised at the Golden Globes for her skill and talent.