Sebastian

(Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Composer: Ilari Heinilä – View bio »

Release Date (digital): 24 January 2025

About the album

This is Helsinki-based composer and producer Ilari Heinilä’s soundtrack to the feature film Sebastian. Directed by the critically acclaimed Mikko Mäkelä, the film follows Max, a 25-year-old aspiring writer living in London, as he begins a double life as a sex worker in order to research his debut novel.

“There are many elements of violin, contrabass, and piano, but the production is approached more with electronic techniques, creating a blend of organic and electronic worlds. I wanted the music to be more of a feeling than a linear, traditionally structured song. It is a deep, warm, yet mystical universe where you can dive in and truly experience Sebastian’s world.” – Ilari Heinilä

Sebastian premiered at Sundance Film Festival and is currently showing in select cinemas. It will be released in UK cinemas in April 2025.

About Ilari Heinilä

Blending the rebellious spirit of DIY punk rock with the atmospheric allure of electronica, Ilari Heinilä is a musical artisan whose sound defies conventions. Describing his music as “organic electronica,” Heinilä explores the duality between organic sounds and electronic production techniques. The result is a sonically adventurous, richly textured tapestry that captures the essence of a musical journey through seamless artistry.

Ilari is nominated for the 2025 HARPA Nordic Film Composers Award for his score to Sebastian.

About Sebastian

In his assured sophomore feature, Finnish-British writer-director Mikko Mäkelä explores the transgressive power of queer sexuality and the transformative impact that can result from embracing a new identity. Far from simply informing his secretly autobiographical fiction writing, Max’s experiences as “Sebastian” awaken a deeper sense of self, unshackled from societal expectations. Ruaridh Mollica impresses in the lead role, embodying Max with an initially hesitant curiosity that blossoms into exhilaration and ease as he becomes subsumed within his nocturnal alias. Eschewing the sensationalism or moralizing that often accompanies stories of sex work, Sebastian instead offers a refreshing, sex-positive take in a film that ultimately celebrates the liberation that accompanies self-exploration.

“At its heart it is a portrait of a young artist looking for their voice and the tension between self-expression and audience considerations, the difficulties sometimes for a young artist to stay in control of their narrative and how this might come to bear on someone who draws on their own life for their work.”- Director Mikko Mäkelä