The 12th edition of the WSA Concert is the perfect follow-up to Passion, the closing film of the Film Fest Gent. We present the Lifetime Achievement Award to Pino Donaggio, the composer who wrote the magnificent score for Brian De Palma’s Passion. World Soundtrack Discovery of the Year 2011 Alex Heffes returns this year with his scores for The First Grader and The Rite at the WSA Concert performed by Brussels Philharmonic, conducted by Dirk Brossé.
The guest of honour of this 12th edition is James Newton Howard, who won the WSA Film Composer of the Year Award in 2008 and has already earned eight Oscar nominations. James Newton Howard can tackle virtually any film genre and manages to infuse his compositions with both melodic romance and saucy adrenaline. He creates dashing melodies with instruments like the piano, the violin and the cello, which would even surprise his “mentors”, The Beatles and Ludwig van Beethoven. Just like Pino Donaggio he often joins forces with famous directors. In this World Soundtrack Awards Concert we are mainly highlighting his work with M. Night Shyamalan and The Walt Disney Studios. During the concert, our national film production also gets a place on the stage with live music from our opening film, The Broken Circle Breakdown by Felix van Groeningen.