Mark Korven

Mark Korven is a Canadian musician and composer for film and television. He is best known for his work on the sci-fi horror cult film Cube, and most recently the period horror film The Witch.

Life and career
During his early life in Winnipeg, Korven performed in many amateur rock bands, mostly playing the guitar in local bars. In 1977, he started taking formal music education at the Grant MacEwan Community College in Edmonton where he studied jazz and orchestration. After graduating, he developed into a singer / songwriter and recorded his first album of left-of-center pop entitled "Passengers". In 1987 he moved to Toronto, where he recorded the album "Ordinary Man" with Duke Street Records, and that same year he had his first chance at composing, with the score for Patricia Rozema's debut feature I've Heard the Mermaids Singing. which went on to win the La Prix de la Jeunesse at the Cannes Film Festival.

In 1992 he released one more album "This Must Be The Place", although by that time his main activity had become composing scores for film and TV works.

During his life Korven became specialized in world music, learning to play several exotic instruments, such as the Sarangi, the Nyckelharpa, the Duduk, the Erhu, and the water phone among others. He was also responsible for the creation of "The Apprehension Engine", a custom made musical instrument intended for the creation of unsettling noises to be used on scoring horror films. Its creation was commissioned to guitar manufacturer Tony Duggan-Smith. The instrument has been presented in a number of live presentations and is expected to be made available for purchase in a limited run. Also, a second version of it is in the works.

Film

 * 1987 – I've Heard the Mermaids Singing
 * 1990 – White Room
 * 1991 – Sam & Me
 * 1992 – The Grocer's Wife
 * 1992 – Voices from the Shadows
 * 1994 – Henry & Verlin
 * 1994 – The Michelle Apartments
 * 1995 – Curtis's Charm
 * 1996 – Lyddie (TV)
 * 1996 – Joe's Wedding
 * 1996 – Giant Mine
 * 1997 – Cube
 * 1999 – Win, Again! (TV)
 * 1999 – The Sheldon Kennedy Story (TV)
 * 2000 – Falling Through
 * 2000 – Saint Jude
 * 2001 – Tagged: The Jonathan Wamback Story (TV)
 * 2013 – Cruel & Unusual
 * 2015 – The Witch
 * 2017 - Awakening the Zodiac

Television

 * 1988 – The Twilight Zone
 * 1991 – Grand Larceny
 * 1993–1994 – Destiny Ridge
 * 1997 – Michael Grey Eyes
 * 1997 – The New Ice Age
 * 1997–1999 – A Scattering of Seeds
 * 1999–2003 – The Nature of Things
 * Love Is Not Enough
 * 2002 – New Year's Resolutions
 * 2002 – Friday the 13th: The Devil in Dover
 * 2003 – The Ex-Factor
 * 2003 – Talk Mogadishu: Media Under Fire
 * 2003 – Hollywood Wives: The New Generation
 * 2004 – Winning
 * 2005 – The Dark Years
 * 2007 – America at a Crossroads
 * 2008–2010 – The Border

Documentaries

 * 1990 – Transplant, the Breath of Life
 * 1990 – Between Two Worlds
 * 1994 – Lawn and Order
 * 1994 – The Lucky Ones: Allied Airmen in Buchenwald
 * 1996 – Power
 * 1997 – Confessions of a Rabid Dog
 * 1998 – The Man Who Might Have Been: An Inquiry Into the Life and Death of Herbert Norman
 * 2001 – A Moment in Time: The United Colours of Bronstein
 * 2003 – Arctic Dreamer
 * 2004 – Shake Hands with the Devil: The Journey of Roméo Dallaire
 * 2005 – Hogtown: The Politics of Policing
 * 2005 – The Ungrateful Dead: In Search of International Justice
 * 2006 – The Man Who Couldn't Sleep
 * 2007 – Triage: Dr. James Orbinski's Humanitarian Dilemma
 * 2005 – Nugliak
 * 2007 – A Promise to the Dead: The Exile Journey of Ariel Dorfman
 * 2007 – Turning Pages: The Life and Literature of Margaret Atwood
 * 2008 – Tiger Spirit
 * 2009 – The Experimental Eskimos
 * 2009 – Pushing the Line: Art Without Reservations
 * 2011 – Earth from Space
 * 2013 – Fight like soldiers die like children

Awards and nominations
During his career, Korven received several awards, many at the Gemini Awards, Genie Awards and the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival.

List of Awards:
Gemini Awards Philip Strong, Kiran Ahluwalia, Ben Grossman, Ravi Naimpally
 * 2008 – Won – Best Original Music Score for a Documentary Program or Series: "A Promise to the Dead: The Exile Journey of Ariel Dorfman"
 * 2008 – Nominated – Best Original Music Score for a Program or Series: The Border For episode "Enemy Contact"
 * 2005 – Nominated – Best Original Music Score for a Documentary Program or Series: "Continuous Journey", award shared with:
 * 2000 – Nominated – Best Original Music Score for a Program or Mini-Series: "The Sheldon Kennedy Story"
 * 1999 – Nominated – Best Original Music Score for a Program or Mini-Series: "Win, Again!"
 * 1992 – Nominated – Best Original Music Score for a Program or Mini-Series: "Between Two Worlds"

Genie Awards
 * 1999 – Nominated – Best Music Score: "Cube"
 * 1996 – Nominated – Best Achievement in Music – Original Score: "The Michelle Apts."
 * 1996 – Won – Best Achievement in Music – Original Score: "Curtis's Charm"
 * 1994 – Nominated – Best Music Score: "Henry & Verlin"
 * 1993 – Nominated – Best Music Score: "The Grocer's Wife"
 * 1991 – Nominated – Best Music Score: "White Room"

Yorkton Short Film & Video Festival
 * 2005 – Won Golden Sheaf Award – Best Original Music, Non-Fiction: "Continuous Journey", award shared with: Philip Strong, Kiran Ahluwalia, Ben Grossman, Ravi Naimpally