Mexican re-recording mixers Jaime Baksht, Michelle Couttolenc, and Carlos Cortés, were announced winners of the the Academy Award for Best Sound this evening for their work—along with Nicolas Becker and Phillip Bladh—in the American film Sound of Metal by Darius Marder.
Sound engineer Baksht, who is one of the top film dubbing mixers in Mexico having worked in numerous productions, had been previously nominated for a BAFTA for his work in the 2006 film Pan’s Labyrinth by Guillermo del Toro.
According to a Variety article written by journalist Carlos Aguilar, the Mexican collaboration came about when film score composer Leonardo Heiblum met Becker, who would work as supervising sound editor on Sound of Metal, while recording an album with Patti Smith. Heiblum recommended the work of his fellow compatriots, and shortly after, Baksht, Couttolenc, and Cortés, were hired.
The principal sound mixing of the film was done at the Splendor Omnia studio located in Tepoztlán, just one hour south of Mexico City, and is owned by renowned director Carlos Reygadas (Silent Light, Our Time).
