"We never thought we'd be nominated while making [the Sound of Metal film], it's an incredible story and to be able to work on a film where sound is really taken into account is spectacular. To be able to say that sound is one of the main characters is always nice, but we never imagined it would come to all this."
Michelle Couttolenc is a film sound mixing engineer with over 18 years of experience, who has been characterized by the realization of emotional atmospheres and textures that enhance the narrative and emotion in the viewer.
She has worked on more than 130 films, collaborating with talented filmmakers such as Guillermo del Toro, Alonso Ruiz Palacios, Issa Lopez, Alfonso Cuarón and Carlos Reygadas.
Her work on Sound of Metal earned her an Oscar, a BAFTA, a CAS (Cinema Audio Society) and an AMPS (Association of Motion Picture Sound) Award for Best Sound Mixing, becoming the first Mexican woman sound engineer to be nominated for and win the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Award. She has also won six Ariel Awards for the films The Golden Dream, Güeros, Gloria, The 4th Company, I'm No Longer Here and Tragic Jungle, and has been nominated 17 times.
She studied sound in France and has worked in mixing studios in Mexico, Europe and the United States. Michelle is co-founder of Astro XL studio, where she mixed part of the sound of Sound of Metal.
Michelle also participates as a mentor and creative consultant. She is currently exploring new immersive experiences that combine art, sound and technology.
