GUSTAVO SANTAOLALLA RECEIVES AN OSCAR NOMINATION FOR HIS SCORE OF “BABEL”

This Marks SANTAOLALLA’s Second Consecutive Oscar Nomination, Having WON Last Year’s “Best Original Score” Award For BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN

SANTAOLALLA Is Also Profiled In This Week’s International Edition of NEWSWEEK

“Multiple Award winning music composer, songwriter and producer Gustavo Santaolalla continues to receive wide award recognition for his critically acclaimed film scores. This morning in Los Angeles, the innovative Argentine composer received his second Oscar nomination, this time for his work on Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s award-winning Babel. Having now provided a widely-praised score for one of the most recognized films of the awards season for the second consecutive year, Santaolalla will have the opportunity to return to the Oscar ceremony – where his “Best Original Score” victory last year for Brokeback Mountain was cheered by Latinos across the world as he accepted the award in both English and Spanish, dedicating the Oscar to “my mother – mi madre, my country – Argentina – and to all the Latinos.”

Recently, Gene Shalit of The Today Show called Santaolalla’s score for Babel “marvelous, engulfing music” and Bob Strauss of the Los Angeles Daily News hailed it as a “career-best contribution.”

Today’s Oscar nomination for Santaolalla follows closely on the heels of his recent Golden Globe nomination (his third), BAFTA nomination (also his third) and yet another GRAMMY nomination. Already a previous GRAMMY and Nine-Time LATIN GRAMMY Winner, Santaolalla was recognized by the members of the recording academy this time as a nominee for “Best Compilation Soundtrack Album For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media” for his Brokeback Mountain score. In addition to the score’s OSCAR, GOLDEN GLOBE & GRAMMY recognition, it has to date also received a BAFTA award nomination, winning awards for Best Score from the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Las Vegas Film Critics Society, as well as a nomination from the International Press Academy for Best Original Score and the Satellite Award from the International Press Academy for Best Original Song.

Santaolalla’s music career started at the age of 16, when he wrote, recorded and produced his first single in his native Argentina. He founded the band Arco Iris in 1967 and made history as the pioneer in the fusion of rock and Latin American Folk. He relocated to Los Angeles in the late 70’s. His success continued with the launch of his highly successful record label, Surco, where he has produced records for Juanes, Molotov, Bajofondo Tango Club and other premiere Latin acts. In addition to Santaolalla’s OSCAR, GOLDEN GLOBE, GRAMMY and LATIN GRAMMY victories, he was also featured as one of Time Magazine’s 25 Most Influential Hispanics in August 2005. For a sampling of Santaolalla’s career production work, visit iTunes’ recently launched “Gustavo Santaolalla Essentials” collection.”

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