Biography
Derek Kirkup is an award-winning composer based in Bristol, UK. A graduate of the Academy of Contemporary Music, he started his career in songwriting before moving into scoring for film.
Among his credits are James Webber’s multi-award-winning feature Sorority starring Kate Dickie and Sophie Kennedy Clark, for which he won the Alan Parsons Award for Best Original Score at Scotland International Festival of Cinema. He also scored interactive feature Olive Green, which won in competition with HBO’s Game of Thrones web series to win the Gold World medal at New York Festivals TV and Film awards. He has collaborated with writer/director Carl Mackenzie several times, including on the acclaimed short The Interrogation of Olivia Donovan.
In addition to his film scoring work, Derek is associate producer and composer with Choice Point Productions, alongside Carl Mackenzie and founder and psychologist Kasia Wilk, with the aim of producing drama that promotes conscious awareness of the power of choice.
Credits
- 2023 Terror (Post-Production)
- 2023 Unseen Scars (pre-production)
- 2022 The Movement (post-production)
- 2020 Sorority
- The Marshlands (TV Series) (post-production)- Pilot
- 2020 Condensation (Short)
- 2018 Playing with Death: Catch a Killer (Game)
- 2017 All Clear (Short)
- 2017 Hushy Bye (Short)
- 2017 Just a Day (Short)
- 2016 The Interrogation of Olivia Donovan (Short)
- 2014 Olive Green
Awards and Nominations
Sorority (2020)
- Alan Parsons Award for Best Original Score for a Feature – Scotland International Film Festival 2022
- Best Ensemble Cast in a Feature Film – Scotland IFC 2022
- Best Supporting Actor – Sam Gittins – Scotland IFC 2022
- Best Supporting Actress – Kate Dickie – Scotland IFC 2022
- Vanguard Award For Cinematic Achievement by an Actress in a Feature Film – Sophie Kennedy Clark – Scotland IFC 2022
- Vanguard Award For Cinematic Achievement by a Director of a Feature Film – James Webber – Scotland IFC 2022
- Vanguard Award For Cinematic Achievement Feature Film – Scotland IFC 2022
- Winner Best Feature Film – Unrestricted View Film Festival 2021
- Winner Best Director – James Webber – Unrestricted View Film Festival 2021
- Winner Best Actress (Feature) – Sophie Kennedy Clark – Unrestricted View Film Festival 2021
- Winner Best Actor (Feature) – Sam Gittins – Unrestricted View Film Festival 2021
- Winner Best Film – Southampton International Film Festival 2020
- Winner Best Director – James Webber – Southampton International Film Festival 2020
- Winner Best Supporting Actress – Kate Dickie – Southampton International Film Festival 2020
- Official Selection British Urban Film Festival 2020
- Nominated Best Feature British Urban Film Festival 2020
- Nominated Best Actor (Sam Gittins) British Urban Film Festival 2020
- Official Selection Cardiff International Film Festival
- Official Selection London Lift-Off Film Festival 2020
The Interrogation of Olivia Donovan (2016)
- Jury Special Mention Manchester International Film Festival 2017
Olive Green (2014)
- Gold Medal (Entertainment Category) – New York Festivals World’s Best TV and Film Awards 2016
- Winner (Educational Apps Category) – BETT Awards 2016
- Educational Learning Resources Award – London Book Fair International Excellence Awards 2016
- Golden Camera Award – US International Film & Video Festival 2015
- Grand Prix Best of Festival (Entertainment) – US International Film & Video Festival 2015
- Gold Dolphin Award (Interactive Video) – Cannes Corporate Media and TV Awards 2015