---
name: "Alex Heffes"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/alex-heffes"
fi1m_id: "alex-heffes"
imdb_id: "nm0373588"
tmdb_id: 22047
wikidata_id: "Q1753627"
roles: ["Composer"]
born: "2 September 1971"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 4
average_fi1m_score: 77
average_over: 4
updated: "2026-10-01T22:28:11.370813+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Alex Heffes

## Identity

Alex Heffes

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/alex-heffes
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** alex-heffes
- **IMDb ID:** nm0373588
- **TMDB ID:** 22047
- **Wikidata ID:** Q1753627
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Heffes, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1753627, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0373588/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/22047

Composer. Born 2 September 1971 in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, England, UK.

## Details

- **Work:** Composer
- **Born:** 2 September 1971, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, England, UK
- **Active:** 2003–2013
- **Frequently works with:** [Kevin Macdonald](https://film.one/person/kevin-macdonald.md)
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 2000s 87 (1), 2010s 74 (3)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 77 to 75 across 4 titles
- **Score spread:** 3 at 80+, 0 at 60–79, 1 under 60
- **Genres:** Drama 3, Documentary 2, Action 1, Adventure 1, Crime 1, History 1
- **Screen time:** 6 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $50m across 3 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Heffes, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1753627, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0373588/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/22047

## Streaming the US now

- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Inside Job*](https://film.one/film/inside-job.md) (82), [*Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom*](https://film.one/film/mandela-long-walk-to-freedom.md) (58)
- **AMC+:** [*Touching the Void*](https://film.one/film/touching-the-void.md) (87)
- **Netflix:** [*Black Mirror*](https://film.one/tv/black-mirror.md) (81)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Alex Heffes is a British film and television composer. Born on 2 September 1971 in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, he graduated from Oxford University with first-class honours in music. He began his career arranging and composing for commercials and television before assisting composer Simon Boswell on more than twenty films.

Heffes rose to prominence with scores for Kevin Macdonald’s documentaries *One Day in September* (1999) and *Touching the Void* (2003). He has since composed for feature films including *The Last King of Scotland* (2006), *State of Play* (2009), *Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom* (2013) and *Escape Plan* (2013), as well as the *Black Mirror* episode “Shut Up and Dance” (2016). His television work also includes the 2016 miniseries *Roots* and *11.22.63*.

Heffes has received a Golden Globe nomination for *Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom*, a BAFTA nomination and three Ivor Novello nominations, winning one for Best Film Score. He was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2016.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, alexheffes.com.*

## On Fi1m (4)

- *Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom* (2013), Fi1m 58, Original Music Composer, Music — [page](https://film.one/film/mandela-long-walk-to-freedom.md)
- *Black Mirror* (2011), Fi1m 81, Music — [page](https://film.one/tv/black-mirror.md)
- *Inside Job* (2010), Fi1m 82, Music, Original Music Composer — [page](https://film.one/film/inside-job.md)
- *Touching the Void* (2003), Fi1m 87, Original Music Composer, Music — [page](https://film.one/film/touching-the-void.md)

## Complete filmography (55)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Brothers Under Fire* (2026), Original Music Composer
- *Humphrey Jennings: The Man Who Listened to Britain* (2025), Original Music Composer
- *Shardlake* (2024), series, Original Music Composer
- *Knox Goes Away* (2024), Original Music Composer
- *Film Fest Gent* (2023), Original Music Composer
- *Mafia Mamma* (2023), Original Music Composer
- *Intrusion* (2021), Original Music Composer
- *The Arctic: Our Last Great Wilderness* (2021), Original Music Composer
- *The 24th* (2020), Original Music Composer
- *A Suitable Boy* (2020), series, Original Music Composer
- *The Big Ugly* (2020), Original Music Composer
- *Hope Gap* (2019), Original Music Composer
- *Miss Bala* (2019), Original Music Composer
- *Pickpockets* (2018), Music
- *Next of Kin* (2018), series, Original Music Composer, Additional Music
- *Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang* (2017), Original Music Composer
- *Earth: One Amazing Day* (2017), Original Music Composer
- *Queen of Katwe* (2016), Original Music Composer
- *Roots* (2016), series, Original Music Composer
- *Bastille Day* (2016), Original Music Composer
- *11.22.63* (2016), series, Original Music Composer
- *The Program* (2015), Original Music Composer
- *Ten Billion* (2015), Original Music Composer
- *What We Did on Our Holiday* (2014), Original Music Composer
- *Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom* (2013), Original Music Composer — Fi1m 58, [page](https://film.one/film/mandela-long-walk-to-freedom.md)
- *Escape Plan* (2013), Original Music Composer
- *Love and Honor* (2013), Original Music Composer
- *Secret State* (2012), series, Original Music Composer
- *Emperor* (2012), Original Music Composer
- *Boy* (2012), Music
- *Black Mirror* (2011), series, Original Music Composer — Fi1m 81, [page](https://film.one/tv/black-mirror.md)
- *The Engagement* (2011), Original Music Composer
- *Stolen* (2011), Original Music Composer
- *Red Riding Hood* (2011), Original Music Composer
- *The Rite* (2011), Original Music Composer
- *Inside Job* (2010), Original Music Composer — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/inside-job.md)
- *The First Grader* (2010), Original Music Composer
- *State of Play* (2009), Original Music Composer
- *My Enemy's Enemy* (2007), Music
- *Tsunami: The Aftermath* (2006), series, Original Music Composer
- *The Last King of Scotland* (2006), Original Music Composer
- *Shiny Shiny Bright New Hole in My Heart* (2006), Original Music Composer
- *Imagine Me & You* (2006), Original Music Composer
- *Too Fat Too Furious* (2005), Original Music Composer
- *Out of Reach* (2004), Music
- *Trauma* (2004), Original Music Composer
- *Dear Frankie* (2004), Original Music Composer
- *Touching the Void* (2003), Original Music Composer — Fi1m 87, [page](https://film.one/film/touching-the-void.md)
- *The Parole Officer* (2001), Original Music Composer
- *Late Night Shopping* (2001), Original Music Composer
- *Desserts* (2000), Original Music Composer
- *Circus* (2000), Original Music Composer
- *One Day in September* (1999), Original Music Composer
- *Little White Lies* (1998), Original Music Composer
- *Killer Net* (1998), series, Original Music Composer

## Awards

### Other awards — 0 won, 1 nominated

- European Film Award for Best Composer 2007: European Film Award for Best Composer (nominated), for *The Last King of Scotland*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/alex-heffes