Screen composer Christopher Gordon has been named the recipient of the 2025 Distinguished Services to the Australian Screen award. He will be presented with the accolade at the Screen Music Awards on 28 October at a ceremony at Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley Hall, presented by APRA AMCOS in conjunction with the Australian Guild of Screen Composers.

Christopher Gordon. Photo © Clare Oliver

Born in London, Gordon is a prolific Sydney-based composer and conductor whose body of work spans chamber music, ballet and dance scores and music for films, television and events.

For his work on the 2004 miniseries Salem’s Lot, he earned a Primetime Emmy nomination, and an ARIA nomination for his work on Mao’s Last Dancer. He has also composed the scores for films including Master and Commander, Daybreakers, Adore and Ladies in Black.

Gordon has earned commissions from the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, the Australian Chamber Orcehstra, Gondwana Voices, Synergy Percussion and Omega Ensemble, among others, and in 2006, was commissioned by then-Prime Minister John Howard to arrange the official orchestral version of the national anthem. He has also composed for the opening ceremony of the 2006 Commonwealth Games, the 2001 Centenary of Fedeation and the 2003 Rugby World Cup.

Gordon’s ballet works include The Happy Prince and Paragon for The Australian Ballet, and Giselle and the Wraith Queen for Seoul’s Universal Ballet. He has also worked with choreographers Graeme Murphy and Alice Topp.

Christopher Gordon. Photo © Clare Oliver.

As a conductor, Gordon has contributed to the scores of video games including Mortal Kombat 2, Diablo IV, World of Warcraft and Lego Batman.

For his work, Gordon has earned awards from the Screen Music Awards, ASCAP Awards, and the AACTA Awards as well as nominations in the International Film Music Critics Awards and the Film Critic Circle Awards.

“This is an incredible honour,” said Gordon. “My thanks to the APRA Board for this recognition which, by extension, goes to the community of composers who work tirelessly in their hermit caves and the many musicians who make such a vital contribution, usually uncredited, to screen storytelling.”

Past winners of the award include Nigel Westlake, Rachel Perkins, Robert Connolly and Bruce Beresford.

More about the Screen Music Awards can be found here.