Sandrine Rudaz Wins Hollywood Music in Media Award for the Title Theme of the Series "En haute mer" (On The High Seas)
Sandrine Rudaz, photo by Olivier Lovey
Swiss composer Sandrine Rudaz was awarded a Hollywood Music in Media Award (HMMA) in the Main Title / TV Show (Foreign Language) category for her musical composition of the opening theme of the mini-series "En haute mer" by Denis Rabaglia, produced by ALVA FILM (Geneva) & GATZ KALEA FILMEAK (Bilbao) for RTS and ARTE.
International Recognition
The 16th HMMA ceremony took place on November 19, 2025 in Hollywood (The Avalon), celebrating excellence in original music for film, television, video games, and other visual media. Considered one of the industry's most influential barometers, the HMMAs honor composers from around the world, and among their winners are numerous artists who have gone on to be nominated for Oscars, Golden Globes, and Emmy Awards. Among this year's nominees were renowned composers such as Alexandre Desplat and Hans Zimmer.
Among the winners is Sandrine Rudaz for her opening theme to "On The High Seas" ("En haute mer") — a significant achievement for French-speaking Swiss music on the international stage. Her style is characterized by lush, emotional orchestral writing that blends her classical European roots with Hollywood influences. She is currently working on the score for a television film for France 2 with Julie Gayet.
The Mini-Series "En haute mer"
"En haute mer" is a Swiss-Spanish-French fiction series of 4 × 42 minutes, directed by Denis Rabaglia, inspired by the novel "En eau salée" by Fabien Feissli. The series explores the world of Swiss merchant shipping, featuring a murder on a cargo ship, a former inspector returning to duty, and a gripping narrative spanning Geneva, Cape Town, and the Indian Ocean. Broadcast by RTS and ARTE, it represents a creative risk that has been praised by both audiences and critics.
A Score Worthy of the Ocean
Sandrine Rudaz's music for "En haute mer" stands out as a central element of the series' atmosphere, orchestrating the tension, the vastness of the maritime landscapes, and the psychological drama of the characters. The main theme "On the High Seas" (opening credits of the international version) won over the HMMA jury in the "Main Title – TV Show (Foreign Language)" category. She was also nominated in the "Score - TV Show (Foreign Language)" category for the same project.
Statements
"I am deeply honored by this recognition, not only for my work but also for the series "En haute mer" and the entire musical team that made this adventure possible, especially as I was going through a difficult time marked by the loss of my grandfather, Marcel Pralong, to whom I wish to dedicate this award today." — Sandrine Rudaz
"Sandrine Rudaz's musical achievement is having composed a soundtrack that is both melodic and atmospheric, gracefully blending orchestral and electronic music. That was our choice: to convey the vastness through orchestral music and the metallic quality through electronic elements. I am proud of this work both as a director and as a Valaisien." — Denis Rabaglia, director and co-producer.
About the Composer
A native of Valais, Switzerland, Sandrine Rudaz began her musical education at age three. She holds a Bachelor of Music from the Lausanne Conservatory, a Master of Music in Film Composition (Pacific Northwest Film Scoring Program), and has also studied orchestration at Stanford University. She has already composed scores for over forty films, short films, and documentaries. She has contributed to numerous Hollywood studio projects such as FUBAR (Netflix) with Arnold Schwarzenegger, the video game Diablo IV (Blizzard), and Clint Eastwood's latest feature film. She is a previous winner of HMMAs for documentaries and has been nominated for the Jerry Goldsmith Awards.