Bengaluru Composer Keziah Thomas Wins Two Awards at World Film Festival in Cannes

Bengaluru-based composer Keziah Thomas has won two major honours at the World Film Festival in Cannes for her musical score on the animated short film Milo. The 22-year-old composer was awarded Best Soundtrack and Best Composer of the Future at the festival.

The animated short follows the story of a young child caught between his parents' constant arguments. To capture the emotional depth of the narrative, Thomas worked closely with director Dillon Sharp to establish the project's emotional direction before composing the score.

To build the film's soundtrack, Thomas recorded herself humming a simple melody that served as the primary motif connecting the narrative. She then manipulated the vocal tracks by stretching, reversing, and altering their textures to mirror the shifting emotions across the scenes. One of the central creative challenges involved crafting a seamless transition from a hopeful tone to a darker atmosphere without abrupt cues.

Thomas began her musical journey in Bengaluru at the age of seven, starting with simple melodies on the piano before experimenting with different instruments and styles at 14. In 2023, she moved to Boston to study at the Berklee College of Music. She credits Bengaluru for building her musical foundation and Berklee for refining her craft as a composer.

Thomas noted that while technology enables global creative collaboration, broader societal mindsets in India still need to evolve to view creative careers as viable professions. Looking ahead, the composer plans to continue scoring for film and television projects globally.