NFTS Location Sound Alumni Wins Oscar for Best Sound on The Zone of Interest

The 96th annual Academy Awards ceremony took place on Sunday 10th March in Los Angeles. The star-studded event celebrated the best films of 2023 and included productions that many National Film and Television graduates worked on including Oppenheimer, Poor Things and The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar. 

The National Film and Television School (NFTS) is thrilled to celebrate Location Sound Recording graduate Tarn Willers winning the Oscar for Best Sound on The Zone of Interest and recognised for his Production Sound Mixer work alongside Sound Designer Johnnie Burn.

The Oscar success completes a hat-trick of awards for Tarn's work on The Zone of Interest, with a BAFTA for Best Sound and a European Film Award for Best Sound Design. The continued recognition Tarn has received serves as a testament to his dedication, talent and pursuit of excellence within the field of Sound. 

 

Tarn Willers and Johnnie Burn receive the Best Sound award at the 2024 Oscars.

Sound plays a crucial role in The Zone Of Interest - a film in which the Holocaust is heard but not seen. Its multi-layered sound design helps the audience picture the atrocities they are unable to see on screen. 

The National Film and Television School’s Location Sound Recording Diploma provided Tarn with the vital production experience he needed to capture high quality audio on set and industry-led teaching to operate sound mixing equipment. The 15-months course equips graduates for a variety of film and television careers including Tarn’s role as a Production Sound Mixer as well as 1st Assistant Sound and 2nd Assistant Sound.

 

Location Sound Recording students on set at the National Film and Television School.

After graduating from the National Film and Television School in 2004, Tarn started his career as a Sound Trainee on ITV’s Footballers’ Wives. He has since worked in the sound department on multiple productions including BBC's W1A, The Woman in Black, The Take, Fury featuring Brad Pitt and most recently on the 2024 comedy drama A Real Pain featuring Kieran Culkin.

Congratulations to Tarn for winning one of the most prestigious accolades in the industry and the raft of talented NFTS graduates for bringing so many Oscar nominated and winning films to life!

Do you want to be trained in the skills you need to become part of a film and TV sound crew? Applications are open for the Location Sound Recording Diploma starting in September 2024. 

Find out how you can follow in their talented footsteps at: nfts.co.uk/location-sound-recording-film-and-television