The 49th edition of IFFR (International Film Festival Rotterdam) kicked off on Wednesday, 22 January with a screening of Mosquito, a WWI drama directed by João Nuno Pinto.

The festival’s focus is on recent work by talented new filmmakers. Featuring over 600 carefully curated fiction and documentary feature films, short films, media art and an alluring programme for the music buff, the festival promises to delight and inspire every single one of its visitors.

One of the highlights of this year’s edition is the world premiere of David Cronenberg‘s 1996 cult thriller ‘Crash’ live in concert. The cinematic score will be brought to life by the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Mike Schäperclaus.

Almost a quarter-century old, the film got a highly anticipated uncut, NC-17 4K restoration last summer and premiered at Venice Film Festival on 6 September.

ELIAS KOTEAS AND DEBORAH KARA UNGER IN CRASH

This particular production will feature Howard Shore’s original (albeit restored) sheet music, including the original instrumentation (did someone say 6 electric guitars?!).

Howard Leslie Shore is a prolific, multiple Oscar-winning film composer world-renowned for his film scores, including classics such as ‘Se7en’, ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ and Martin Scorsese‘s ‘The Departed’, ‘The Aviator’, ‘Hugo’ and ‘Gangs of New York’. His popularity reached new heights with the birth of his magnificent opus for ‘The Lord of the Rings’ film trilogy, which is arguably the most complex sonic world-building since Richard Wagner’s ‘Der Ring des Nibelungen’. This timeless score effectively established the sound of Middle Earth.

HOWARD SHORE ©BENJAMIN EALOVEGA

Shore is also a long-term collaborator of David Cronenberg, having scored most of his films since 1979, including the dark horror thrillers ‘The Fly’ and ‘Videodrome’. The two will be reunited during this very special event taking place in the heart of the festival, the main auditorium of de Doelen, on 31 January at 21:00.

This is a unique event promises to be a tantalising live audio-visual experience not to be missed.

Masterclass with Howard Shore

However, the film in concert is not the only surprise Howard Shore’s fans will get to enjoy during the festival. The composer will also be attending a masterclass moderated by Kaleem Aftab (The Independent, Indiewire), where the composer will give the audience an insight into his working methods, his collaboration with various film directors, his views on music, and much, much more.

The masterclass will take place on 1 February, at 13:00, at De Doelen – Willem Burger Hall.

This year’s edition of IFFR is taking place between 22 January and 2 February 2020. For more information, tickets, as well as the full line-up on, visit the IFFR website.