ScreenCraft: Arli Liberman

Arli Liberman is a New Zealand composer, producer and guitarist who creates vibrant, immersive award-winning music for film, documentary and live experiences. His distinctive approach to sound brings to life the unique emotional soundscape that belongs to each project. 2023 has seen the world premiere of Stylebender, nominated at Tribeca in June ’23 which Arli scored for director Zoe McIntosh, working closely with Israel Adesanya himself.

Projects to date include the score for 2021 America’s Cup AC36 and for Sam Kelly’s highly anticipated gang movie Savage, winning the 2021 APRA award for Best Original Music in a Film. 2022 saw several movies and TV commercials, including the feature film More Than Gold and the Dame Valerie Adams bio-pic as well as an eight-part documentary series about the history of Moko.

Arli is currently preparing an ambitious new score and soundscape for AC37, with the racing commencing in Barcelona in 2024. Meanwhile, the feature film Song For Maria is currently in post-production. Arli’s signature sound can be heard at the Auckland Art Gallery in the filmic exhibition Te Mata, a collaboration with renowned choreographer Taane Mete as well as the opening titles of the FIFA Women's World Cup and The All Blacks Experience at SkyCity.

2023 Arli continues his work as a solo artist, completing the final polish on the upcoming release of his fifth solo album with Big Pop Records in addition to creating a new collaborative album with renowned Kiwi composer Rhian Shian.

Internationally, Arli performs at MoMA New York, regularly produces music in Canada, and has played at the Montreux Jazz Festival, among other international festivals. The album I Muri Ahiahi of Ngatapa Black, produced by Arli, was nominated for Māori Album of the Year at the Aotearoa Music Awards.

Born in Israel, Arli was a key member of Whiteflag Project - one of the first Palestinian and Israeli crossover bands. At this time, Arli’s mentor, Platinum-selling English record producer Mark Smulian, urged him to “find the back door of the electric guitar sound.” This marked the beginning of Arli’s journey in developing his now-familiar sonic identity, which seamlessly lends itself to the world of cinema.