By arts editor Helen Musa

In a coup for the ANU Film Group, Monument, directed by Bohemian Rhapsody and X-Men director Bryan Singer, will receive its Australian premiere on October 30.

The screening, presented in partnership with the ANU School of Music, is also a coup for Canberra’s music and film scenes, as American-born film composer and academic Kenneth Lampl has received a 2026 APRA Screen Music Award nomination for his score for the feature.

Lampl convenes composition for film and video games at the School of Music.

In Monument, Amnon Rechter (Joe Mazzello) and his father, Yacov (Jon Voight), are prominent Israeli architects facing the biggest commission of their careers.

The year is 1999, the penultimate year of Israel’s occupation of southern Lebanon, and they are tasked with erecting a monument to honour all victims of the war, Christian and Muslim alike.

The resulting conflict between father and son explores questions of loyalty, complicity and the role of art in a divided society, but for Lampl, politics aside, it is simply “a beautiful father-son story”.

The score has attracted praise for its ability to heighten the film’s emotional impact without overwhelming the action.

One reviewer noted: “The sweeping score from composer Kenneth Lampl further amplifies the film’s overall boldness.”

Another wrote: “The music throughout is genuinely great. It never oversells the emotions but does underscore the main emotion in each scene. The film is good, but the music pushes the whole production to greatness.”

An internationally recognised film composer, academic and author, Lampl was already well established in his field when he came to the ANU 10 years ago. He served as head of the ANU School of Music from 2017 to 2019 before concentrating on teaching and composition.

“I’ve written more film scores than anyone in the country,” he says. “I’m a big part of the filmmaking community here. I’m one of the local talents.”

His work spans film composition and music education, and his latest book, The Craft of Film and Video Game Composition, has just been submitted to Routledge Press.

Lampl’s invitation to score Monument came through producer Jason Taylor, whom he met while working on Seth Larney’s 2020 science-fiction film 2067.

Taylor had worked with Singer on X-Men during his Hollywood days and suggested Lampl to him.

“He recommended me to score the film, but I only met Bryan when I went to the first screening in New York City in March this year,” Lampl says.

Singer likes to work collaboratively, Lampl explains. He sent music to the film’s editor, Benj Thall, and Singer then worked on it.

Singer was specific about what he wanted, particularly that he did not want a Middle Eastern sound. Fortunately, the director and composer shared a love of the music of John Williams and the films of Steven Spielberg.

“A lot of my music is informed by them,” Lampl says.

The film’s many tense scenes, action sequences and dramatic moments also offered Lampl the opportunity to explore a variety of musical approaches.

“I worked on this for about a year, shuttling music backwards and forwards. It was very much a team effort, with Jason and Benj involved. We came through collectively.”

Lampl will introduce the Australian premiere of Monument and take part in a post-screening question-and-answer session, discussing the score, his creative process and the role of music in the film.

Monument, ANU Film Group, Kambri Cinema, ANU, October 30. Details at anufg.org.au.

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