‘Sinners,’ ‘Marty Supreme’ and ‘One Battle After Another’ Among Guild of Music Supervisors Award Winners

The sixteenth annual Guild of Music Supervisors Awards ceremony took place this past Saturday, celebrating the specialized art of curating music for film, television, and other media. Major honors this year were awarded to the films "Sinners," "Marty Supreme," and "One Battle After Another," alongside the TV series "The Lowdown" and "The Studio."

A poignant highlight was the posthumous Legacy Award presented to Robin Kaye, the Guild's former Vice President and a revered music producer. Kaye, whose work on seminal 1990s film soundtracks helped shape the audio landscape of the decade, was remembered for her profound industry impact. The Guild of Music Supervisors, founded in 2006, is the professional organization dedicated to advocating for and elevating this crucial behind-the-scenes craft.

Raphael Saadiq was a focal point of the evening, receiving the Icon Award. The multi-talented artist—a singer, songwriter, and producer famed for collaborations with D'Angelo, Solange, and his own group Tony! Toni! Toné!—also won Best Song Written and/or Recorded for a Film. He shared this award with composer Ludwig Göransson for "I Lied To You," created for Ryan Coogler's "Sinners." Saadiq, Göransson, and special guest Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes delivered a stirring live performance of the winning song, embodying the event's theme of creative synergy. This focus was further reinforced by appearances from "American Idol" finalist Alejandro Aranda and new song debuts from artists like Cris Chil.

The guest list reflected the ceremony's rising prestige, drawing figures such as John Legend, Kate Hudson, and Public Enemy's Flavor Flav. Their attendance underscores a broader industry recognition of music supervision's narrative power. "A supervisor's curation is not just about placement; it's a form of storytelling that can define a project's emotional core and its lasting cultural footprint," noted music industry analyst Clara Vance. The event was produced by Angelia Shepperd of ABS Collective under the direction of the Guild's production committee, led by President Lindsay Wolfington.

Complete category winners were announced after the show. In film, Niki Sherrod won for the high-budget "Sinners," while Gabe Hilfer secured the mid-budget award for "Marty Supreme." For television, Tiffany Anders was recognized for the drama "The Lowdown," and Hilfer won a second award for the comedy "The Studio." The Guild's scope extends widely, with additional awards for documentaries, advertising, trailers, and video games. Notable wins included the trailer for "One Battle After Another" and best music for a video game, awarded to the highly anticipated "Death Stranding 2: On the Beach." The game's director, Hideo Kojima—a visionary known for his cinematic, music-driven titles like the original "Death Stranding"—is personally involved in its sonic design, highlighting the deep integration between music and interactive media that the awards now regularly honor.