A true story. Unfortunately. After a reckless lie sets off a catastrophic chain of events, Ali, the son of a Muslim cleric, finds himself caught between his sense of duty to his family and following his heart. An irreverent and warm-hearted comedy, Ali’s Wedding is an affectionate and entertaining story of love and duty.

A film with such emotional scope requires a soundtrack to match, and so Nigel Westlake – composer of beloved scores including Babe and Paper Planes – was approached by the film’s director Jeffrey Walker. This album brings together highlights from the score, and boasts a line-up of musical artists that together have won over a dozen ARIA Awards.

As well as bringing the film to life, Westlake’s music explores some of the more complex and subtle aspects of Ali’s adventures. As the composer says, “Although the score is firmly planted in the symphonic language of the ‘romantic comedy’ genre, it also seeks to provide musical context to the deeper and contemplative aspects of the story, particularly Ali’s insecurities concerning his past, culture and religion.”

The oud – a short-necked lute-type instrument (and a pre-cursor to the guitar) – lends a distinctively middle-eastern flavour to the score, and is played here by acclaimed oud virtuoso Joseph Tawadros. Guitarist Slava Grigoryan also appears on this album, on the track ‘In Loving Memory’, an expansion of a musical moment from the film. And singer Lior completes the trio of stellar guest soloists, with a new recording of a movement from Compassion, the hugely acclaimed song cycle he co-composed with Westlake.

The Ali’s Wedding Original Soundtrack was recorded by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under the baton of the composer. The film is on general release from 31 August 2017.