Interesting interview with Dirk Simon about Damien's involvement in the film (
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What exactly is Damien Rice's contribution? How many pieces of music, does he sing and is it anything like his previous work?
Damien has written one song for the film. Although it may seem less than what the other composers have contributed, it is an essential part of the soundtrack. Damien sent us a version late last year without lyrics which we included and it has received an award already. He has now completed a version with lyrics and it is even better. You would definitely recognize it as a Damien Rice song. However, it also seems different to me because it has a bold political message and is very thought provoking - it is really, really great. Based on the version with lyrics, we are actually re-editing an entire scene of the film to match perfectly.
We are still in the process of discussing it with Damien and his team, but I would like to see his song become our title song. I will also encourage him to submit it for the Academy Awards 2011 for best Original Song. We on our end will do what's necessary to ensure the song qualifies.
Philip Glass has composed music for many feature films and documentaries and is in that sense not a surprising choice. How did Thom Yorke and Damien Rice get involved?
The film was from the beginning designed to reach beyond your typical audience for this kind of film. I wanted to tell the story in the most effective way. I wanted to create emotional access to this story through a very engaging cinematography and a powerful soundtrack. So, we reached out to some of our favorite artists who we felt would be a great fit and who we knew could help us accomplish this ambitious goal. Damien and Thom, after we explained our concept and after they saw some of our material, answered the call.
Will an actual soundtrack be released - and when?
It is our intention to release an actual soundtrack, especially since we have quite a few other great artists lending their work, too. But the variety of artists, along with all the different publishers and writers involved will make it a bit complicated and time consuming to negotiate the agreements. After all, this is a 100% independently financed film without the financial back up of a major studio. But everyone has been very supportive and enthusiastic so far and I have high hopes for a release. Ideally it will be coordinated with the film’s release which still needs to be determined. The film will enter the Festival circuit with its world premiere during the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (February 4 - 14, 2010)