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Samuel Sim
Samuel Sim
Samuel Sim
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Samuel Sim is a British composer, record producer, musician and songwriter. His work spans concert music, recordings, arrangements and film and television scores. He writes in full orchestral as well as electronic and contemporary idioms, and is often known for his use of choir and vocal elements in his music.

Recent releases include the Ivor Novello Award nominated score for the Bafta Award winning series The Mill,[1] the multi-award-winning soundtrack for Home Fires,[2] released 6 May 2016 by Sony Classical Records.[3] and the music to The Halcyon released by Decca Records in January 2017.[4]

Biography

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Film and television scores

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2021

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2020

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2019

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2018

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  • Maiden
  • The Interrogation of Tony Martin (TV Movie)
  • Innocent

2017

2016

2015

2014

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2013

2012

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2011

2010

2009

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2008

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2007

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2006

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2005

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[5][unreliable source?]

Soundtrack releases

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  • Emma – A recording of Sim's soundtrack for the 2009 BBC television drama of Jane Austen's Emma was released on 1 December 2009[6]
  • Mad Dogs – Original Television Soundtrack – Red Stamp Records – 2012
  • The Mill – Original Television Soundtrack for Channel 4's drama series was released February 2015 on Red Stamp Records[7]
  • Coalition Original Soundtrack – Red Stamp Records – 2015
  • Home Fires Soundtrack featuring the single "Siren" released 6 May 2016 by Sony Classical Records.[8]
  • The Halcyon – Original Television Soundtrack featuring the hit single "Hourglass" written and produced by Samuel Sim, feat. Tracy Kashi on Vocals was released by Decca Records in January 2017[9]
  • On a Knife Edge – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack released January 2018[10]
  • The Bay – Original Television Soundtrack released March 2022
  • Domina – Original Television Soundtrack – Dubois Records – 2021

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Film Result Ref.
2005 Biarritz International Festival of Audiovisual Programming Best Music Original Musical Score Dunkirk Won
2010 Royal Television Society Best Music, Original Score Emma Nominated
Royal Television Society Best Music, Original Titles The Deep Nominated
2014 Royal Television Society Best Music, Original Titles By Any Means Won
2015 Ivor Novello Awards Best Original Score The Mill Nominated [11]
2016 Royal Television Society Best Music, Original Titles Home Fires Won [12]
Royal Television Society Best Music, Original Score Home Fires Won
2018 Bafta Award Best Music, Original Score Born to Kill Nominated [13]
2019 Royal Television Society Best Music, Original Titles The Bay Won

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Samuel Sim

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Samuel Sim is a British , , , and songwriter renowned for his evocative scores in film and television. Specializing in orchestral and electronic music, he blends traditional instrumentation with innovative production techniques, often highlighting his proficiency on the . His contributions span dramatic series, epic fantasies, and historical narratives, earning him critical acclaim and multiple industry awards. Born in the , Sim began his musical journey early, learning the at age three and the concert at age six. He received mentorship from acclaimed composer following a school performance of , which profoundly influenced his path into professional music. Trained on multiple instruments including guitar, , and most strings, Sim's versatile skills enable him to compose across genres, from intimate chamber pieces to large-scale orchestral works. Sim's career gained prominence in television scoring, with breakthrough recognition for his award-winning music for the BBC drama series Dunkirk. Notable projects include the original score and title music for ITV's Home Fires (2015), the score for the Emmy-winning Netflix series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019, co-composed with Daniel Pemberton), BBC One's Showtrial (2021), and Sky's historical epic Domina (2021). Other key works encompass The Bay (ITV, 2019–present), Anne (ITV, 2020), and A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story (2025). Beyond screen media, he has composed concert music, produced recordings, and collaborated on sample libraries like Chrysalis with Spitfire Audio, showcasing his harp expertise. Throughout his career, Sim has received significant accolades, including two Royal Television Society (RTS) Craft & Design Awards in 2015 for Home Fires and another RTS Award in 2019 for The Bay's title music. His scores have earned BAFTA nominations, Ivor Novello Award nominations, and contributions to Emmy-recognized projects like The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. These honors underscore his status as one of the most sought-after composers of his generation, with a distinctive style that merges emotional depth and technical innovation.

Biography

Early life and education

Samuel Sim was born in the and displayed an early aptitude for , beginning his formal training at a young age. He started learning the at the age of three, followed by the concert harp at six, and later picked up the guitar at nine. His parents, both musically inclined though not professional performers, encouraged his development by supporting lessons and providing an environment conducive to musical exploration. During his teenage years, Sim's compositional talents emerged prominently through school productions. At age 16, he composed music for a psychedelic adaptation of Shakespeare's , in which he also performed on harp. This performance caught the attention of renowned , who was in the audience and subsequently offered Sim a job, marking the beginning of a significant . Kamen, a Grammy Award-winning film known for works like Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, provided invaluable guidance that shaped Sim's approach to scoring and , influencing his transition from performer to . Sim has credited Kamen as his primary mentor, stating that he "learned more from Michael than anyone else." While Sim received no formal higher education in music composition mentioned in available accounts, his early training and self-directed learning, augmented by Kamen's tutelage, laid the foundation for his professional career. He developed proficiency across multiple instruments, including piano, and gained versatility on string instruments, which informed his later work in film and television scoring. This period of informal yet intensive musical immersion emphasized practical experience over academic study.

Professional beginnings and breakthrough

Samuel Sim began his professional career in music composition during the early 2000s, initially focusing on short-form television content. After being mentored by renowned composer —following a school production where Sim blended with concert —he secured his first notable commission for the series of ten three-minute short films titled Better than Sex, produced by Boot Films for Channel 4. This project, which immersed the narratives in dense musical scoring, served as a crucial calling card that helped establish his reputation in British television. Sim's breakthrough came in 2004 with his original score for the miniseries , a depicting the evacuation. The evocative orchestral score, which captured the tension and heroism of the events, earned him widespread recognition and marked his transition to larger-scale productions. For this work, Sim won the FIPA d'Or for Best Original Music at the 2005 Biarritz International Festival of Audiovisual Programming, solidifying his position as an emerging talent in film and television scoring. Following the success of , Sim's career gained momentum with a series of television commissions, including documentary features like Indian Space Dreams (co-composed with Dru Masters). These early achievements highlighted his versatility in blending orchestral elements with contemporary techniques, paving the way for more prominent projects in the mid-2000s and beyond.

Career highlights

Television compositions

Samuel Sim's television compositions encompass a wide range of genres, including historical dramas, crime thrillers, and fantasy series, where he crafts scores that integrate orchestral grandeur with contemporary electronic elements to heighten emotional and atmospheric tension. His approach emphasizes narrative immersion, often tailoring motifs to reflect character arcs and historical contexts, as seen in his work for major broadcasters like ITV, , and . A pivotal early success came with the ITV period drama Home Fires (2015–2016), where Sim's original score evoked the resilience and heartbreak of women on the British home front during through poignant string-led themes and subtle percussion. This work earned him two (RTS) Craft & Design Awards in 2015—one for the original score and another for the title music—marking his rise as a prominent TV composer. Sim further demonstrated his versatility in The Halcyon (2017), an ITV and series set in a 1940s hotel amid wartime . His lush, romantic orchestral score, blending sweeping strings with jazz-inflected motifs, supported the drama's exploration of class and forbidden . In contrast, his music for the Netflix puppet fantasy The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019) adopted a mythical, adventurous palette with ethereal choirs and tribal rhythms, enhancing the epic's otherworldly lore and helping secure the series an Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's and Family Programming. More recent projects highlight Sim's skill in tense, modern narratives. For the ITV crime drama The Bay (2019–present), he composed haunting title music that evokes a "" mood through minimalist electronics and brooding lines, earning an RTS Craft & Design Award in 2019. His score for One's Showtrial (2021) features propulsive, suspenseful cues that mirror the high-stakes courtroom battles, while Domina (2021), a and Amazon historical epic about , employs dramatic brass and choral elements to underscore political intrigue and power struggles. Sim continues to expand his television portfolio with scores for (2019), a and Channel 5 Tudor-era series, the ITV and mini-series A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story (2025), which delves into 1950s with intimate, noir-inspired orchestration, and Channel 5's crime drama (2025).

Film compositions

Samuel Sim's film compositions often blend orchestral arrangements with electronic and ambient elements, creating immersive soundscapes that amplify emotional and narrative tension in documentaries and narrative features. His work in this medium emphasizes thematic depth, frequently incorporating choral or vocal motifs to evoke historical, cultural, or personal resonance. While much of his acclaim stems from television, Sim's film scores demonstrate a versatility suited to both intimate dramas and high-stakes adventures, drawing on his experience with large-scale ensembles recorded at venues like . A notable example is his contribution to Maiden (2018), a documentary directed by that follows and her all-female crew's historic participation in the 1989–1990 Whitbread Round the World Race. Co-composed with Rob Manning, the score features sweeping orchestral swells and subtle electronic textures to underscore themes of resilience and defiance against gender barriers in , earning praise for its motivational drive that mirrors the crew's journey. The film itself received a BAFTA nomination for Outstanding British Film, highlighting the score's role in its critical success. In (2021), a Welsh-language film directed by Lee Haven Jones, Sim crafted an eerie, ambient that builds dread through minimalist percussion, haunting strings, and subtle folk influences, enhancing the story's exploration of environmental guilt and family secrets in rural . Critics noted how the music's trance-like quality complements the film's slow-burn tension, contributing to its premiere at SXSW and subsequent festival acclaim. Sim's score for The Last Rider (2023), another documentary collaboration with , chronicles the career of cyclist , the first American winner. Employing dynamic rhythms and poignant melodies to evoke the physical and psychological strains of professional racing, the composition captures LeMond's triumphs and controversies, with orchestral peaks reflecting key race moments. The film's release underscored Sim's ability to tailor music for biographical intensity in sports documentaries. Earlier in his career, Sim composed for Of Two Minds (2012), a Lifetime drama starring as a woman with navigating family dynamics. His sensitive, introspective score uses and strings to convey emotional vulnerability and struggles, supporting the film's focus on and recovery without overpowering the dialogue-driven narrative.

Musical style and collaborations

Signature techniques

Samuel Sim's compositional approach is characterized by its , tailoring melodic, textural, percussive, orchestral, or electronic elements to the specific subject matter of a project, creating immersive soundscapes that enhance narrative depth. This adaptability allows him to blend classical disciplines with contemporary techniques, often combining rock influences with orchestral writing to produce evocative scores. A hallmark of Sim's style is his innovative use of the , leveraging his expertise as a harpist to explore extended techniques beyond traditional plucking. In his collaborative work with on the Chrysalis library, he incorporates "impossible" methods such as strings to resonate against adjacent ones or all strings simultaneously with a bow, yielding ethereal and unconventional timbres. These sounds are further processed through effects pedals and a guitar amplifier, transforming the into warped, edgy textures suitable for dramatic cues—exemplified in patches like "Nympha Pedals," which layer multiple signal chains for lush, atmospheric ambiences. Such experimentation positions the as a versatile instrument in his toolkit, bridging acoustic purity with electronic distortion. Sim frequently employs choral elements, particularly layered female vocals without lyrics, to convey unity, timelessness, and emotional resonance in period dramas. In the score for Home Fires (2015), he uses a female choir to symbolize community solidarity, as in the night harvest scene where independent vocal lines interweave to heighten dramatic tension without overpowering the dialogue. This technique, often paired with cello for added intimacy, avoids period pastiche and instead emphasizes the human voice as a connective force across eras. Similarly, in The Halcyon (2017), the opening theme features non-instrumental female vocals to underscore themes of wartime heroism and loss. His process reinforces these techniques: initial sketches on piano or paper for orchestral pieces evolve into full scores after reviewing rough cuts, ensuring music integrates seamlessly with visuals while maintaining a focus on emotional authenticity over stylistic uniformity.

Key influences and partnerships

Samuel Sim's musical style draws significantly from his early training across multiple instruments, including violin, harp, guitar, and piano, which enabled him to blend classical and rock elements in his compositions. A pivotal influence was his mentorship under the late film composer Michael Kamen, whom Sim met at age 16 during a school production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Kamen, impressed by Sim's performance, offered him a job and encouraged him to compose music for pictures, shaping his transition from performer to film and television scorer. Additionally, Sim's work often incorporates the human voice and choral elements, inspired by their timeless emotional resonance, as seen in his use of female choirs for wartime dramas like Home Fires. His grandfather's experiences as a WWII RAF pilot also influenced thematic explorations of heroism, loss, and resilience in scores for period pieces. In terms of partnerships, Sim has collaborated closely with composer Daniel Pemberton on the Netflix series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019), where Sim contributed key themes, such as those for the Vapran Princesses, complementing Pemberton's orchestral and innovative sound design. He is also embedded in the creative community at Tileyard Studios in North London, working alongside fellow composers Dru Masters and Paul Thomson, whose discussions on sampling and sound design directly informed projects like his harp-based library Chrysalis. This partnership extended to a four-year collaboration with Spitfire Audio to develop Chrysalis (2015), a sample library featuring 176 deeply sampled harp sounds and experimental effects, tailored for film and TV composers seeking novel textures. Sim frequently partners with ensembles for live and recorded works, notably the London Contemporary Orchestra (LCO), which performed his compositions for albums like Masters: Contemporary Voices (2022), blending orchestral drama with contemporary . These collaborations underscore his eclectic approach, adapting orchestral, electronic, and vocal idioms to suit diverse projects, from historical dramas to fantasy series.

Discography

Soundtrack albums

Samuel Sim's soundtrack albums primarily feature original scores for dramas and series, often released through major labels like Decca, , and Varese Sarabande, highlighting his ability to blend orchestral elements with emotional depth. These releases have garnered critical acclaim and awards, particularly for period pieces and thrillers, establishing Sim as a prominent in British television scoring. His debut major soundtrack album, Emma (Original Television Soundtrack), accompanied the 2009 BBC adaptation of Jane Austen's novel and includes 28 tracks evoking Regency-era romance through sweeping strings and piano motifs. Released on December 1, 2009, by MovieScore Media, it marked Sim's breakthrough in period drama scoring. The Home Fires (Music from the Television Series) album, released in 2016 by , captures the resilience of women during in the ITV series, featuring 21 tracks with poignant themes like "Home Fires Main Title." This score won two 2015 Royal Television Society Craft & Design Awards for Best Original Score and Best Original Title Music, underscoring its emotional impact and historical authenticity. In 2017, Sim released The Halcyon (Original Music from the Television Series) on Decca, blending 1930s jazz influences with orchestral tension for the ITV wartime drama; the album includes vocal performances by artists like Jamie Cullum and Beverley Knight alongside Sim's compositions, such as the main title theme "Hourglass." For the Netflix fantasy series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, Sim co-composed with Daniel Pemberton, resulting in two volumes released in 2019 by Varese Sarabande: Vol. 1 (Music from the Netflix Original Series) and Vol. 2, which incorporate ethereal choir, percussion, and strings to evoke the mythical world of Thra, with tracks like "Brea and the Library" showcasing Sim's contributions. Subsequent releases include The Spanish Princess, Season 1 (Original Score) (2019, series on Tudor history) and DOMINA (Original Soundtrack) (2021, series on , 25 tracks emphasizing dramatic intrigue) and Showtrial (Original Soundtrack) (2021, thriller, 25 tracks with suspenseful motifs), both distributed digitally via platforms like . More recent works feature Mad Dogs (Original Television Soundtrack) (2020, for the Sky1 series (2011–2013), 29 tracks building tension through minimalist electronics and strings) and A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story (Original Television Soundtrack) (2025, ITV true-crime drama, 18 tracks), released March 28, 2025.

Concert and other works

Samuel Sim has composed original orchestral works beyond film and television, often blending contemporary classical elements with evocative themes. His contributions to the 2019 album The Space Orchestra, a collaborative project with Tom Furse and Paul Saunderson, include space-themed pieces such as "We Choose to Go," "Apollo," and "Low Lunar," performed by the Concert Orchestra of and emphasizing expansive, cinematic soundscapes suitable for live performance. In 2025, Sim created music specifically to commemorate the Apollo Moon Landings, recorded and performed by the London Contemporary Orchestra at ; this work builds on his earlier "Apollo" track, highlighting orchestral textures and thematic depth in a concert setting. Sim has also released standalone original compositions, including the instrumental tracks "Gone" (2024), "" (2022), and "No Miracle" (2022), which explore introspective and atmospheric motifs in a modern classical idiom and are available for streaming. Additional releases include Masters: Contemporary Voices (2022), a collaborative featuring contemporary interpretations.

Awards and nominations

Major wins

Samuel Sim has received several prestigious awards for his television compositions, particularly from the Royal Television Society (RTS), recognizing his contributions to original scores and title music. In 2005, Sim won the Best Original Musical Score at the Biarritz International Festival of Audiovisual Programming for his work on the BBC miniseries Dunkirk, marking an early career highlight that blended historical drama with evocative orchestral elements. At the 2015 RTS Craft & Design Awards, Sim secured two wins for the ITV period drama Home Fires: Best Music – Original Score, praised for its lush, period-appropriate orchestration that captured the emotional depth of wartime resilience, and Best Music – Original Title, noted for its fresh and effective thematic introduction. In 2019, he again triumphed at the RTS Craft & Design Awards with Best Music – Original Title for the ITV crime drama The Bay, where his haunting and atmospheric theme was commended for lending an ominous quality to the series' tense narrative.

Notable nominations

Samuel Sim has earned recognition through various prestigious nominations for his television and film scores, highlighting his contributions to original music in broadcast media. These accolades span major industry awards, including those from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), the , and the Royal Television Society (RTS), often for dramatic series that blend orchestral and contemporary elements. His most prominent nomination came in 2018 from for Best Original Music for the psychological thriller Born to Kill, where his score underscored the series' tense narrative with subtle, atmospheric strings and percussion. In 2015, Sim was nominated for the Award for Best Television Soundtrack for The Mill Series 2, praised for its evocative period-appropriate orchestration that captured the industrial era's harsh realities. Sim has also received multiple RTS Craft & Design Award nominations, reflecting his consistent excellence in title and original scoring. Earlier, in 2010, Sim earned an RTS nomination for Music - Original Title for the adventure series The Deep, noted for its dynamic underwater soundscapes. Additionally, in , he received a regional RTS Composer Award nomination for Murder in the Car Park, a true-crime documentary series. Internationally, Sim was nominated in 2020 by the International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA) for Best Original Score for Television (shared with ) for : Age of Resistance, where their collaborative fantasy score revived Jim Henson's universe with ethereal choirs and mythical instrumentation.
YearAwardCategoryWorkCitation
2018Best Original MusicBorn to Kill
2015Best Television SoundtrackThe Mill Series 2
2010RTS Craft & DesignMusic - Original TitleThe Deep
2021RTS Composer AwardMurder in the Car Park
2020IFMCABest Original Score for Television: Age of Resistance (with )

References

  1. https://www.samuelsim.com/about
  2. https://rts.org.uk/article/working-lives-meet-tv-composer-samuel-sim
  3. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6905542/fullcredits
  4. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1475318/
  5. https://www.spitfireaudio.com/en-ca/products/samuel-sim-chrysalis
  6. https://coolmusicltd.com/composers/samuel-sim/
  7. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/beyond-the-surface-home-fires-and-the-halcyon-composer_b_5914dd27e4b00ccaae9ea15f
  8. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0400391/awards/
  9. https://www.spitfireaudio.com/en-us/products/samuel-sim-chrysalis
  10. https://coolmusicltd.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Samuel-Sim.pdf
  11. https://filmmusicreporter.com/2025/01/31/samuel-sim-scoring-britboxs-itvs-a-cruel-love-the-ruth-ellis-story/
  12. https://coolmusicltd.com/the-trial-scored-by-samuel-sim-airs-on-channel-5-on-8th-may-at-9pm/
  13. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8879946/fullcredits/
  14. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/the-feast-film-review-sxsw-2021-4150755/
  15. https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-feast-movie-review-2021
  16. https://coolmusicltd.com/the-last-rider-scored-by-samuel-sim-in-cinemas-23rd-june/
  17. https://www.spitfireaudio.com/products/samuel-sim-chrysalis
  18. https://moviemusicuk.us/2019/10/01/the-dark-crystal-age-of-resistance-daniel-pemberton-and-samuel-sim/
  19. https://music.apple.com/us/artist/samuel-sim/340396774
  20. https://coolmusicltd.com/samuel-sim-wins-both-rts-awards/
  21. https://open.spotify.com/album/65cDi5p6QDbG1vg6Ofdv4x
  22. https://www.soundtrack.net/album/emma/
  23. https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8121112--samuel-sim-home-fires
  24. https://open.spotify.com/album/2Pw6AAqhKeZGDcQsBXubCQ
  25. https://open.spotify.com/album/31PBfhljYiJiCvrPbTcLzI
  26. https://www.amazon.com/Halcyon-Original-Music-Television/dp/B01N1GFBNE
  27. https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-dark-crystal-age-of-resistance-vol-2-music/1569667542
  28. https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Crystal-Age-Resistance-Vol/dp/B07Y1ZKFLC
  29. https://music.apple.com/us/album/domina-original-soundtrack/1566029619
  30. https://music.apple.com/us/album/showtrial-original-soundtrack/1594592595
  31. https://music.apple.com/us/album/mad-dogs-original-television-soundtrack/1545263193
  32. https://filmmusicreporter.com/2025/03/24/a-cruel-love-the-ruth-ellis-story-soundtrack-album-announced/
  33. https://www.filmmusicsite.com/en/soundtracks.cgi?id=88281
  34. https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-space-orchestra/1489663674
  35. https://www.instagram.com/samuelsim77/reel/DJYoaNQNGWf/
  36. https://soundcloud.com/samuel77/gone
  37. https://soundcloud.com/samuel77/morphine
  38. https://soundcloud.com/samuel77/no-miracle
  39. https://www.tvbeurope.com/business/winners-of-rts-craft-and-design-awards-2014-2015-revealed
  40. https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/rts-craft-and-design-awards-winners-revealed/5097469.article
  41. https://rts.org.uk/article/winners-rts-craft-design-awards-2019-announced
  42. https://www.televisual.com/news/rts-announces-craft-and-design-winners_nid-8372/
  43. https://www.bafta.org/media-centre/press-releases/nominations-announced-for-the-british-academy-cymru-awards-in-2018/
  44. https://www.taylorherring.com/nominations-announced-for-the-ivors-2015/
  45. https://rts.org.uk/award/rts-craft-and-design-winners-2010
  46. https://coolmusicltd.com/samuel-sim-nominated-for-rts-west-of-england-award-for-his-score-to-murder-in-the-car-park/
  47. https://soundtrackfest.com/en/news/ifmca-awards-16th-edition-nominees/
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