For soundtrack fans, Ghent in October is a special place. Every year the World Soundtrack Awards (WSA) are held there, crowning the year's film music in a single night. This year, a Japanese name is on the shortlist: Mari Fukuhara. She is nominated for Discovery of the Year, the WSA's newcomer-style award, for her score to the French animated feature Little Amélie or the Character of Rain (Japanese title: Amélie to Ame no Monogatari). The ceremony takes place on October 10, 2026 (local time) — less than a week away.

The Five "Discoveries" and One Night in Ghent

The nominees for Discovery of the Year at the 26th WSA are:

  • Mari Fukuhara — Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
  • Paris Hurley — The Chronology of Water
  • Kangding Ray — Sirat
  • Hannah Peel — Midwinter Break
  • Sam Slater — 2000 Meters to Andriivka

Among live-action buzz titles and a documentary, Fukuhara is the only nominee in the category for an animated film. For reference, this year's Film Composer of the Year nominees are a jaw-dropping lineup: Alexandre Desplat, Jonny Greenwood, Hildur Guðnadóttir, Daniel Pemberton and Max Richter.

The ceremony starts at 8 p.m. at Muziekcentrum De Bijloke in Ghent, in a "ceremony & concert" format with the Brussels Philharmonic conducted by Dirk Brossé, closing Film Fest Gent's WSA Film Music Days (October 8–10). This year's Guest of Honour is Hildur Guðnadóttir, and the Lifetime Achievement Award goes to Trevor Jones, composer of The Last of the Mohicans and Notting Hill. A Japanese composer's name might be read out on that very stage — just imagining it is exciting.

Kobe in the 1960s, the Sound of a Two-Year-Old Who Believes She Is God

Little Amélie is a French animated feature (2025, 77 min) co-directed by Maïlys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han, based on Belgian author Amélie Nothomb's autobiographical novel The Character of Rain (Métaphysique des tubes). Set in 1960s Kobe, it follows Amélie, a Belgian girl born into a diplomat's family, who awakens from an unresponsive, "tube-like" state at two and a half and sees the world with such vivid senses that she believes she is God. Her bond with the housekeeper Nishio-san is the emotional core of the story.

The film's acclaim is well established: it won the Audience Award at the 2025 Annecy International Animation Film Festival and was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 83rd Golden Globes and the 98th Academy Awards. In Japan it was released on March 20, 2026, distributed by Fine Films.

What makes it fascinating is the setup: a French film set in Japan, scored by a Japanese composer. A story about memories of Japan seen from the outside is given music by someone with an insider's ear — likely the reason the score avoids leaning on exotic "Japanese" clichés.

A 27-Track Soundtrack, Ending With "Koi no Vacance"

The original soundtrack was released on CD by Rambling Records on March 11, 2026 (RBCP-3624, ¥2,970). It contains 26 original tracks by Fukuhara plus a specially included song from the film, The Peanuts' "Koi no Vacance" — 27 tracks in all. Just glancing at titles like "God the Tube," "Mother," "Chocolate Revelation," "André," "The Garden" and "Épilogue" will bring scenes to mind for anyone who knows the novel. Having a 1960s kayōkyoku hit sit right alongside the score feels like the film's period atmosphere sealed in sound.

A "Discovery" After More Than 30 Years

It's worth stressing that Mari Fukuhara is by no means a newcomer. According to her agency profile, she was born in Tokyo, graduated from the Toho Gakuen School of Music, and began her career as a member of SHI-SHONEN and Real Fish. Alongside her solo work, she has scored films such as Rinco's Restaurant and Permanent Nobara, the documentary Yokohama Mary, and the TV anime Amatsuki, and since 2008 she has staged collaborative performances with visuals in Paris and Barcelona.

So this "Discovery" is less about finding a newcomer than about the European film music world discovering a sound that has long been playing in Japan. Her profile also lists an Annie Award nomination for music, showing how this film — via France and the Oscar race — carried her music to ears around the world.

We won't know whether she wins until the night of October 10. But if you haven't heard the soundtrack yet, we strongly recommend giving it a full listen during this week of waiting. When the winner is announced, it will surely sound different.