JOHN DEBNEY reunites with “The Passion of the Christ” producer and actor

ACADEMY AWARD NOMINATED COMPOSER

JOHN DEBNEY

SCORES “THE STONING OF SORAYA M.”

Composer reunites with “The Passion of the Christ” producer and actor

Special Screening Followed by a Q & A with the Film’s Director and Composer on July 1

Score Album Available on Varese Sarabande and iTunes

Los Angeles, CA- Academy Award nominated composer John Debney provides a gripping score for “The Stoning of Soraya M,” based on the New York Times Best Selling book by Freidoune Sahebjam, which tells the true story of an Iranian woman named Soraya, whose arranged marriage leads to a tragic ending.

The film reunites Debney with “The Passion of the Christ”’s producer Stephen McEveety and actor James Caviezel. “The Stoning of Soraya M.,” written and directed by Cyrus Nowrasteh won the audience award at the Toronto International Film Festival. “The Stoning of Soraya M.” opens in select theatres on June 26.

The score album is available on Varese Sarabande and through iTunes. An e-petition is being generated that will be sent to the United Nations’ general secretary and the U.S. secretary of state, in an effort to compel countries such as Iran to abolish their penal code that supports stoning.

To sign the petition and for more information visit http://www.thestoning.com and click on “get involved.”

While composing the score, Debney wanted the music to reflect the culture in the film as well as the dichotomy it illustrates. He accomplished this task by incorporating ethnic instruments such as the Persian violin and cello, the Oud (a string instrument) and several world woodwinds.

An 80-piece orchestra and vocal soloists including Tehran-born Sussan Deyhim complete the beautifully moving score.

John Debney’s solid reputation as a composer spans films in virtually all genres.

His credits include “The Passion of the Christ,” for which he received an Oscar nomination; “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor,” “Idlewild,” a Prohibition-era musical starring Outkast and featuring famed trumpeter Arturo Sandoval; animated films “Barnyard” and “Chicken Little,” comic-book inspired “Sin City,” and comedies “Elf” and “Liar, Liar.” The composer has further demonstrated his diversity with this year’s films’ “Hannah Montana” and upcoming releases, “Old Dogs,” “A Thousand Words” and “Aliens in The Attic.” Next year, Debney will travel to Saint Peter’s Square (The Vatican) for a performance of his symphony “The Passion Oratorio.”

In addition to his Oscar nomination, Debney has received three Emmy awards, a Dove award for “The Passion of the Christ,” A CUE award for the videogame score for “Lair,” and was the youngest recipient of the ASCAP Henry Mancini Award for Career Achievement. Debney has conducted concerts of his music with orchestras throughout the United States and Europe. John Debney’s ability to deliver the perfect score for a variety of films continues to make him one of the most sought after composers in Hollywood.tions]

[author: Ray Costa Communications]