About the Power of Music: Moving IFMW with Howard Shore

The International Film Music Competition, which forms part of the gala, was held for the twelfth time this year. From almost 200 submitted scores, the three best compositions for the short film THE FLYING SAILOR were performed by the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich in a completely sold-out Tonhalle while being closely evaluated by the expert jury, presided over by Howard Shore. The fundamentally different approaches of the three composers made it clear how strongly the effect of a film can be determined by the music. 'You can have a dialog with the audience that the director sometimes is not even aware of,' commented Jurypresident Howard Shore with a smile in his Master.

The winner of this year's competition is Ahmed Soroko. He not only convinced and impressed the jury with the emotional resonance and lyricism of his music, but also with the 'silent moments' which he skillfully implemented. The Canadian composer was 'speechless' over the honor ov receiving a Golden Eye from Howard Shore. Since he was a child, the fellow Canadian had been one of his idols.

living for music

In addition to honoring the winning composition, the second part of the 'Cinema in Concert' gala took us on a journey through Howard Shore's life's work. Whether you're into fantasy, horror, avant-garde, comedy or drama, we have all come across the film composer Howard Shore. His versatility is rooted, among other things, in his collaboration with very different directors. Because 'film is teamwork', says Christian Jungen, Artistic Director of the Zurich Film Festival.

The composer reacts humbly to receiving the Career Achievement Award. 'I have been a student of music really my whole life,' says Shore in his acceptance speech. He will never stop learning and enjoys immersing himself in new worlds again and again. His scores also begin modestly. He records his first ideas in pencil. And his advice to keep moving forward: 'Just keep the pencil moving'.