MPSE Golden Reel Awards: Patton Oswalt, Kevin Costner & Greg Hedgepath Champion The Complex Nature Of Sound Design; “Your Fingerprints Have Made The Difference In Scenes And Moments That Will Never Be Forgotten In Film”

The Motion Picture Sound Editors’ 72nd Golden Reel Awards were handed out Sunday night at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles. Nominated by members of the organization, the Golden Reel Award celebrates the creative endeavors in sound editing across feature films, student films, broadcast, gaming and interactive media.

“We are all practitioners of this invisible art of sound. Sound isn’t seen or touched, and as a result, our craft is often overlooked. But we know sound is both physical and metaphysical, and we love playing between the realms of sound’s physical properties and the emotional impact it can have on an audience,” MPSE President David Barber said at the ceremony, emphasizing the importance of below-the-line recognition. “That’s not to say that people don’t, can’t, or won’t [champion] sound, but if they’re not aware of what we do, how can we expect them to appreciate it? And that is the challenge and the focus of the MPSE, to bring recognition to the art of sound through visibility, education, and most importantly, our inspiration… Let’s get people excited about what they hear, as much as they’re excited about what they see.”

Actor-comedian Patton Oswalt returned to host for the third consecutive year. He kicked off the ceremony referencing the hectic start to 2025 by screaming into his hands in a self-proposed “moment of silence” and slammed studio executives for erasing shows from streaming platforms for tax breaks.  “It isn’t even March [yet]and Wilhelm has lost his scream. The only things that are truly safe right now are the films that have been vaulted for tax breaks,” Oswalt said. “Seriously, you guys, in the middle of all this chaos and darkness, you are still magicians.”

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, which garnered two awards, was the most awarded of the night.  Amongst the film wins were Wicked, The Wild Robot, Emilia Pérez and Dune: Part Two, and in TV Shōgun, The Penguin and Arcane also snagged wins.

Oswalt highlighted some of the nominated categories and their unique sound designs: “As a film buff, I love that you keep doing what you’re doing and the atmospheres that you’re able to capture. You’re painters. That weird howling hollowness in Nosferit just felt good knowing that there were Foley artists in the abandoned TJ Maxx out in Glendale, walking those halls, getting those sounds. That really must have cost you, psychologically, and I appreciate you doing that. Baby Reindeer, as great as that show was, even greater was the comedy open mic scene. You absolutely nailed the sounds of a bad open mic. The weird glasses clinking, the blender going, the comedian’s soul dying. I was transported back to when I was 19 years old.”

MPSE also handed out a pair of honorary awards to the Oscar-winning multi-hyphenate Kevin Costner and Emmy-nominated supervising sound editor Greg Hedgepath.

Hedgepath was given the Career Achievement Award, a designation presented to a person whose career has significantly impacted the sound community through exemplary work, service, or leadership, and recanted the audience with a story. He detailed his 30+ career in the industry that landed him collaborations with giants such as George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola to extensive work on notable films like Twister and Hustle & Flow. In recalling his upbringing in Shepherd Park, Washington D.C., “where the White people moved out, Black people moved in, but the people who stayed were the Jewish community,” Hedgepath singled out a time when he was confronted with a workplace microaggression for the first time in his storied career.

“I grew up in an environment with Blacks and Jews, just never thought about [the racial divide]. The way we grew up, everybody was the same. And as a result, I think that helped propel me in my career to be able to be confident, to be comfortable, to just be myself around anybody, because I know that I’m no better, no worse, than anybody else. And that has kept me well, and I think that’s one reason why I stand here before you in the crowd…my life has been great, but something did happen recently that threw me for a loop.” Hedgepath said.

He continued by telling a story of how an unnamed film editor on an unnamed film had sidelined Hedgepath and when approached about the behavior, had “uncool stuff” and “names that shouldn’t have been said” thrown at him. This confrontation caused depression in Hedgepath as he tried to navigate the workplace while also trying to deliver credible work. “I’ve been sad before but not depressed. A friend of mine explained things to me. He said, ‘These people don’t see you for your accomplishments. They see you for what you look like.’ And I’d been through some stuff [in the past]. Who hasn’t walked into Whole Foods and had a security guard follow you around, right? But in this case, I was just not expecting it. And I just couldn’t conceive of them not just wanting to have me based on, this brain, these fingers, these ears.”

Hedgepath noted that he ultimately managed to get through the difficult production and that the studio loved the movie so much that there was a pitch for a potential sequel. While the cast and crew celebrated, Hedgepath reflected that the celebration “still stung,” but even so, he got through the hardship on account of his fellow peers. “It left a stain. But I’ve got to tell you, having received this award from my peers, from the board of MPSE, and all of you, this just takes that sting away.”

The Honorary Filmmaker’s Award, designated for an individual outside the sound community whose career has demonstrated a great appreciation and understanding of the impact of sound editing, went to Costner. The actor reflected on his relentless and wayward journey to becoming an actor, which involved transforming himself from a reluctant accounting major at California State University, Fullerton, to a menial worker taking out the trash at Raleigh Studios until, eventually, he found passion in a local theater class. He asked the audience to reflect on their own journeys in the industry. “How did you find your yellow brick road? How did you find sound? How do you now explain spending hours of your time in the dark, in these big, gigantic rooms? How do you explain that you’re happy? How did we come together this night as colleagues? I believe it’s because it’s always been our desire to get it right,” Costner said. “That’s what we have in common. Why you stay up so late, why you come in so early. And getting here, we all had that first moment, the one that put us on the trail, one that made a difference. Maybe it was an article you read about Hollywood that inspired you, or a friend. Maybe it was the Academy Awards, a speech that electrified you. The realization that those people were just like you. The idea that if they could do it, then why couldn’t you?”

Costner continued, “I wanted to feel that way about my own work the way these people did when they talked about it. We can usually point to when it all began, the person that pushed us forward, the evening, everything began to change. We didn’t care anymore about what we were giving up. We just wanted to feel that way about our work. It seems easy enough to talk about now, but back then, when you came here when you burnt your ships, everything was on the line. You’ve made [that passion in your work carry over to] your directors. You’ve made it happen for me when it didn’t seem possible. And your fingerprints have made the difference in scenes and in moments that will never be forgotten in film. I want to say that I have depended on you, and I have been better because of your skill and your desire to just hand in there. Sound still remains the single greatest contribution to filmmaking, and that’s why the world still continues to cherish this art form.”

Coster’s second installment of his Horizon: An American Saga screened at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival earlier this moment. A theatrical release has not yet been announced.

Here is the list of MPSE Golden Reel Award winners:

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Broadcast Animation

Secret Level: “Warhammer 40,000: They Shall Know No Fear”, Amazon Prime

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Broadcast Long Form Dialogue / ADR

Shōgun: “Ladies of the Willow World”, FX

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Broadcast Long Form Effects / Foley

Ripley: “III Sommerso”, Netflix

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Broadcast Short Form

Earthsounds: “Australian Forests”, Apple TV+

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Feature Animation

The Wild RobotUniversal Pictures

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Feature Documentary

The Blue Angels, Amazon Prime

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Feature International

Emilia PérezNetflix

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Feature Dialogue / ADR

Saturday NightColumbia Pictures

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Feature Effects / Foley

Dune: Part TwoWarner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Non-Theatrical Animation

Arcane: “The Dirt Under Your Nails”, Netflix

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Non-Theatrical Documentary

Apollo 13: SurvivalNetflix

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Non-theatrical Feature

Rebel Moon – Part Two: The ScargiverNetflix

Outstanding Achievement in Music Editing – Broadcast Long Form

The Penguin: “Cent’Anni”, HBO Max

Outstanding Achievement in Music Editing – Broadcast Short Form

Only Murders in the Building: “My Best Friend’s Wedding”, Hulu

Outstanding Achievement in Music Editing – Documentary

Music by John WilliamsDisney+

Outstanding Achievement in Music Editing – Feature Motion Picture

WickedUniversal Pictures

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Game Dialogue / ADR

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6Sledgehammer Games

Outstanding Achievement in Music Editing – Game Music

Star Wars OutlawsMassive Entertainment

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Game Effects / Foley

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6Sledgehammer Games

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Student Film (Verna Fields Award)

SongbirdsSavannah College of Art and Design