Join us at The Wallis as we “Bring The Noise” with an evening of conversation and performance celebrating the Academy Award®-winning composer, pianist and filmmaker Kris Bowers, covering his musical contributions to the film industry, from big studio to independent to television series to his many collaborations with acclaimed director Ava DuVernay.

Kris Bowers is an Academy Award-winning filmmaker, Emmy and Grammy-nominated composer and pianist. His 2024 score for DreamWorks Animation’s The Wild Robot has been nominated for an Academy Award, by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and by the Society of Composers and Lyricists (SCL).

The Wild Robot, which has earned three Academy Award nominations, including for Best Animated Feature Film, is written and directed by four-time Academy Award nominee Chris Sanders and stars Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o, Emmy winner Pedro Pascal, Oscar nominee Stephanie Hsu, Oscar nominee Bill Nighy and Emmy winner Catherine O’Hara.

Bowers won his first Academy Award for his 2023 Documentary Short Film The Last Repair Shop. The Searchlight Pictures and L.A. Times Studios-backed film, which he directed alongside Ben Proudfoot, premiered at Telluride in 2023 and spotlights some of the individuals working at a repair shop in Los Angeles, the last American city to provide freely repaired instruments to its public school students.

In addition to being an accomplished filmmaker, Bowers is known for his thought-provoking playing style, creating genre-defying film compositions that pay homage to his classical and jazz roots. He has composed music for film, television, documentaries and video games. He has collaborated with musicians and artists across genres, including Kobe Bryant, Mahershala Ali, Justin Simien, Ava DuVernay and Shonda Rhimes. His work can also be heard in recent films like the box office hit Paramount biopic Bob Marley: One Love, DuVernay’s Origin, Warner Bros.’ The Color Purple, and acclaimed television series such as Bridgerton, Secret Invasion, Mrs. America and When They See Us. Bowers also won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Direction and Composition for his work in The Snowy Day.

Bowers also stars in, produced, and scored the documentary Anthem with director Pete Nicks, which follows Bowers and Grammy-winning music producer DJ Dahi as they take a musical journey traveling across America in a bold experiment to reimagine America’s National Anthem. The documentary premiered in June 2023 at the Tribeca Film Festival and debuted on Hulu on June 28, 2023. In 2020, Bowers also co-directed his first documentary short film, A Concerto Is a Conversation, with Proudfoot. The film, a New York Times Op-Doc executive produced by DuVernay, premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival and earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Short Subject at the 93rd Academy Awards.

He has also created original music for the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater (alongside choreographer Kyle Abraham), worked with the American Youth Symphony to create a Violin Concerto, which premiered at Los Angeles’ Disney Hall (2020), and was commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic to create a new horn concerto (2021). The multi-hyphenate has also collaborated with brands such as Bang & Olufsen, Chevy, and Krug Champagne.

Bowers has multiple projects in development through Et Al Studios Productions, a production company he founded with his wife, Briana Henry.
 
About The Wild Robot

DreamWorks Animation’s The Wild Robot is now nominated for three Academy Awards® including Best Animated Feature, Best Original Score (Composer, Kris Bowers) and Best Sound. It is the first animated feature in 11 years from four-time Oscar®-nominated filmmaker Chris Sanders, whose storied career spans more than 35 years of iconic animated films, including credits as Story Artist for Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King; writer of Mulan; and writer/director of Lilo & Stitch, How to Train Your Dragon and The Croods.

The epic adventure follows the journey of a robot – ROZZUM unit 7134, “Roz” for short — that is shipwrecked on an uninhabited island and must learn to adapt to the harsh surroundings, gradually building relationships with the animals on the island and becoming the adoptive parent of an orphaned gosling.

The Wild Robot stars Academy Award® winner Lupita Nyong’o (Us, the Black Panther franchise) as robot Roz; Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us, The Mandalorian) as fox Fink; Emmy winner Catherine O’Hara (Schitt’s Creek, Best in Show) as opossum Pinktail; Oscar® nominee Bill Nighy (Living, Love Actually) as goose Longneck; Kit Connor (Heartstopper, Rocketman) as gosling Brightbill and Oscar® nominee Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All at Once, The Fall Guy) as Vontra, a robot that will intersect with Roz’s life on the island. The film also features the voice talents of Emmy-winning pop culture icon Mark Hamill (Star Wars franchise, The Boy and the Heron), Matt Berry (What We Do in the Shadows, The SpongeBob Movie franchise) and Golden Globe winner and Emmy nominee Ving Rhames (Mission: Impossible films, Pulp Fiction).

The Wild Robot is produced by Jeff Hermann, p.g.a.

Special thanks to Universal Pictures for making this event possible.
 

Pricing

$25.50 for Film Independent Members and Wallis Subscribers, $35.50 for the general public. Proof of Member/Subscriber status is required to reserve tickets at the Member/Subscriber price; limit two tickets per order.
 

Tickets

Tickets may be purchased from the Wallis box office in person, over the phone, or online via the links below:

Film Independent Member tickets

Wallis Subscriber tickets

General tickets

For additional information, or to get in touch with the Wallis box office, visit thewallis.org/contactus.
 

Safety/Event Policies

Masks are optional. The Wallis’ health and safety protocols are subject to change at the venue’s sole discretion or in accordance with CDC, State of California, and Los Angeles County recommendations.

Availability window and registration capacity may vary; always register as early as possible. All ticket sales are final; no refunds or exchanges.

Attendees must follow all rules and guidelines as laid out by Film Independent and/or its partners. If a guest has been registered for an event by a Member, these policies shall apply to that guest. Violation of written policies and/or staff instructions may result in removal from the venue and/or suspension or termination of Membership/access to future events.

Event details and guest participation are subject to change or cancellation without prior notice.
 

Accessibility

Film Independent is committed to hosting events that are accessible. For inquiries regarding accessibility, or to request an accommodation, please contact us at accessibility@filmindependent.org or 323 556 9305.

If you have already purchased your tickets but need assistance, please contact the Wallis Ticket Services at 310 746 4000 for personal assistance.
 

Parking

Parking is available in the underground garage (450 N. Crescent Dr.) with entrances on Crescent Dr. and S. Santa Monica Blvd.

$5 flat rate before 6:00 pm; $8 flat rate after 6:00 pm

View directions/additional info at thewallis.org.