Arli Liberman is an award-winning screen composer, producer, and guitarist known for creating immersive music for film, television, multimedia, and live experiences.

With an unwavering dedication to his craft, Arli's approach to music serves as a transformative force that resonates both on and off the screen. 

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As a screen composer, Arli has worked on a wide range of films, including Sam Kelly's gang movie 'Savage', winning the 2021 APRA Best Original Music in a Feature Film Award.

In 2024, he collaborated with Tiki Taane (Ngāti Maniapoto) on the score for the historical te reo Māori drama Ka Whawhai Tonu - Struggle Without End, directed by Mike Jonathan (Tainui, Mātaatua, Te Arawa). Their process centred on building an “invisible sonic character,” exploring taonga pūoro and Taane’s voice in new and textural ways. The score won the 2025 APRA Best Original Music in a Film Award | Tohu Pūmanawa and the 2025 New Zealand Screen Award for Best Original Score. It also received nominations at the Septimus Awards (2025) and the Hollywood Music and Media Awards (2024), including Best Score and Best Song for “Hold On To The Dream” featuring Louis Baker.

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In 2025 he co-composed with Dream Chambers the score for The Ridge, a six-part psychological thriller co-produced by BBC Scotland and Sky New Zealand, and the intergenerational road-trip film Kōkā, directed by Kath Akuhata-Brown (Ngāti Porou).

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Other notable projects include Zoë McIntosh’s documentary Stylebender (2023), which premiered at Tribeca; 'The Mountain' (2024), directed by Rachel House seeing him Finalist for APRA Best Original Music in a Feature Film Award alongside Troy Kingi, Briar March’s More Than Gold (2022); the 36th and 37th America’s Cup theme; the FIFA Women’s World Cup opening titles; and the All Blacks Experience at SkyCity.

As a recording artist, Arli recently released Traces, a collaborative album with composer Rhian Sheehan (Loop Electronic, 2025).

 

His production on Ngatapa Black’s I Muri Ahiahi earned a nomination for Māori Album of the Year at the Aotearoa Music Awards, and he has performed internationally, including at MoMA New York and the Montreux Jazz Festival.

Originally from Israel, Arli was a member of the pioneering cross-cultural Whiteflag Project, a band uniting Palestinian and Israeli musicians. Under the mentorship of platinum-selling English record producer Mark Smulian, he was urged to 'find the back door of the electric guitar sound', which marked the beginning of Arli’s journey in developing his sonic identity.

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In 2009, Arli moved to New Zealand, where he continued to develop his innovative approach to music and began exploring the synergy between composition and visual storytelling