Mudbound
Laura Karpman: 5 Great Films Scored by Women
Laura Karpman
Laura Karpman
Composer

Aside from being an award-winning composer and Academy governor of the Music Branch, Laura Karpman is a tireless champion for women in music. She has worked on films such as Paris Can Wait, The Beguiled and Step.

It’s hard to make a choice of five—so many amazing scores by Shirley Walker, Lolita Ritmanis, Lesley Barber, Kathryn Bostic, Miriam Cutler, Heather Mcintosh, Hildur Guðnadóttir and countless others! But here are some scores that have been on my mind lately.

1
Eighth Grade
2018
Eighth Grade
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Composer Anna Meredith found a sound for what it is like to be an 8th grade girl! Heroic and horror all at once.

2
Little
2019
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A great comedy score by such a gifted composer, Germaine Franco.

3
Delicious Little Devil
1919
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Such fresh and accomplished work. Nora Kroll-Rosenbaum made a silent film feel new again.

4
The Manchurian Candidate
2004
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A terrific departure for Rachel Portman. Dark and foreboding.

5
Mudbound
2017
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I love the chamber string work. You can feel the scraping of the bow on the string. Tamar-kali’s score is full of grit.

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