Composers Call Out Diversity Setbacks Under Trump Government: ‘Inclusion Is Not as Important as 10 Years Ago’

The Composers Diversity Collective (CDC), this year's World Soundtrack Awards Industry Award laureate, participated in a Film Fest Ghent panel to address its mission and the ongoing challenges of fostering diversity in film music. The WSA Industry Award honors organizations that have made a significant and enduring impact on the profession. The panel included founder Michael Abels—the Oscar-winning composer for Jordan Peele's groundbreaking horror film "Get Out"—as well as co-presidents Sandro Morales-Santoro and Amritha Vaz.

Michael Abels, whose career skyrocketed after the immense success of "Get Out," described the accolade as a tremendous honor and praised the World Soundtrack Academy for its bold recognition. He recounted the CDC's origin, stemming from his early days in the industry when he observed a conspicuous lack of diversity at professional gatherings. What began as a plan for a small meet-up unexpectedly drew fifty composers, powerfully demonstrating the deep-seated need for community and visibility among underrepresented professionals. Amritha Vaz added that the collective was formed to directly counter the pervasive industry myth that qualified composers of color were unavailable. This led to the creation of a detailed directory to highlight the vast and skilled talent pool that already exists, thereby increasing awareness both within the community and throughout the wider industry.

Sandro Morales-Santoro, an immigrant from Venezuela, shared that seeing Argentine composer Gustavo Santaolalla—a two-time Oscar winner for "Brokeback Mountain" and "Babel"—achieve global success made his own film scoring ambitions feel attainable. Yet he expressed frustration that decades later, composers from similar backgrounds remain a rarity on major studio films. This sense of regression was a common theme. Abels noted a palpable cultural shift, observing that the momentum for telling non-mainstream stories, which had built over the last ten years, seems to be stalling as fewer such projects get approved. Vaz pointed out a critical oversight in diversity initiatives, citing how major films centered on Asian stories, like "Crazy Rich Asians" and the live-action "Mulan," were scored by composers not of Asian descent. This highlights how behind-the-scenes roles are often excluded from inclusion efforts. Dr. Lena Shaw, a media studies professor at UCLA, supports this view, stating, "Authentic representation demands equity not only in front of the camera, but across every creative department responsible for shaping the narrative."

When asked about advocating for diversity during the politically volatile era of the former Trump administration, Morales-Santoro acknowledged that such political changes can feel disruptive. Nevertheless, he reaffirmed the CDC's dedication to protecting the gains made and pushing for systemic, lasting reform that transcends any single political climate. He pointed to tangible successes, such as CDC member Amanda Jones being hired to score the series "Murderbot" and Michael Abels's involvement in a "Star Wars" project, as evidence of their growing impact. He also critiqued the industry's deep-rooted risk aversion, explaining that while the massive budgets justify caution, this mindset perpetuates the repeated hiring of a small, homogenous group of established composers. The actual creative labor, he noted, often involves a diverse team of writers, yet the sole credit typically goes to a single, well-known figure.

Amritha Vaz delivered a powerful counter to the idea of "diversity hires," arguing that studios are not granting favors but are instead seeking the most qualified professionals who can perform under extreme pressure. She called the term a "pernicious concept" that wrongly implies underrepresented individuals are less deserving of their positions. She stressed that, statistically, composers of color remain severely underrepresented in television and film. "We are far from a point where people are simply handing out diversity hires," Vaz concluded, reinforcing the collective's position that the fight is not for unmerited opportunity, but for the basic right to be seen and judged in a field where their talent has always existed.