On Monday, November 10, 2025, the oldest film festival in Lower Saxony, the Braunschweig International Film Festival (BIFF), will kick off its 39th edition. As is tradition, the BIFF will once again kick off this year with an opening film concert. In the Volkswagen Halle Braunschweig, visitors can look forward to the legendary psychological thriller PSYCHO by Alfred Hitchcock with live music from the Braunschweig State Orchestra.
Braunschweig, August 01, 2025 - On Monday, November 10, the 39th Braunschweig International Film Festival (BIFF) traditionally kicks off with an opening film concert in the Volkswagen Halle Braunschweig. This year, lovers of great film classics and suspenseful music will be in for a treat: Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece PSYCHO (1960), accompanied by the Braunschweig State Orchestra, will open the festival with a cinematic and musical highlight. The opening film concert is presented in cooperation with the Braunschweig State Orchestra and the Braunschweig State Theatre, supported by the co-main sponsor of the opening film concert BS|ENERGY and sponsored by the Braunschweig Cultural Heritage Foundation. Jens-Uwe Freitag, CEO of BS|ENERGY, is looking forward to the start of the festival: "The Filmfest and BS|ENERGY have a long, shared history - after last year's cooperation, we are happy to be involved as co-main sponsor in the coming years. We have received a lot of good feedback on the cooperation, and now we are very much looking forward to the legendary film at this year's Filmfest opening."
Hitchcock's milestone in film history
"After the terrific start with BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA last year, we are now tightening the tension screw further with PSYCHO. 65 years after its theatrical release, Alfred Hitchcock's most successful film has lost none of its impact. I'm really looking forward to this unique performance of Bernard Herrmann's music by the Braunschweig State Orchestra at the start of the BIFF. All Braunschweig residents aged 12 and over are cordially invited to share this evening with us," explains co-festival director Karina Gauerhof.
Hitchcock's most famous film is a turning point in film history. Released in US cinemas on June 16, 1960, PSYCHO changed the public's expectations of sex, violence and horror forever. Although the film initially received mixed reviews - many found it distasteful - it quickly became a huge hit with audiences. People queued for hours to see Hitchcock's new masterpiece, sometimes gripped in their seats, sometimes thrown out in suspense. The film grossed over 50 million euros worldwide and was nominated for four Oscars. Many scenes and characters are still firmly anchored in pop culture today - above all the legendary shower murder scene, which has been quoted, referenced and parodied countless times.
Legendary film music - live to the movie
"This year, music by Bernard Herrmann awaits us at the opening of the film festival with Alfred Hitchcock's PSYCHO. What is particularly striking is the fact that we will be experiencing an all-string orchestra. The music with its sharp, dissonant sounds intensifies the psychological tension of the film," explains Verena Rast, orchestra director of the Braunschweig State Orchestra. The shower murder was immortalized by the screeching string sounds, which musically intensify the action with rapid cutting sequences. The American composer Bernard Herrmann, who wrote a total of eight film scores for Alfred Hitchcock between 1955 and 1966, was responsible for this. The music for PSYCHO was his greatest triumph, not least because of its radically reduced instrumentation: for budget reasons, Herrmann composed the entire score exclusively for a string orchestra - with resounding success. The American Film Institute still ranks the nerve-wracking music of PSYCHO as one of the five best film scores of all time.
At the opening of the 39th Braunschweig International Film Festival, this score will be performed live by the Braunschweig State Orchestra under the direction of conductor Ernst van Tiel, while the film is shown on the screen at the Volkswagen Halle Braunschweig. Meanwhile, the opening marks the 23rd year of the successful partnership between BIFF and the State Orchestra. "We are already very much looking forward to working with the Filmfest team again this year and to putting on a very special opening film concert together in and for Braunschweig," continues Verena Rast.
7 days of film enjoyment with numerous special events
The opening film concert in the Volkswagen Halle Braunschweig marks the start of an entire festival week full of cinematic highlights - including numerous films before their official theatrical release. The diverse film program focusing on young European cinema, music documentaries, short film programs and films on current topics such as sustainability will be rounded off by special events such as lectures, discussion formats, get-togethers and festival parties.
"The Braunschweig International Film Festival is one of the major highlights of Braunschweig's cultural calendar every year. By sponsoring the opening film concert, at which the Braunschweig State Orchestra performs the score live, the Braunschweig Cultural Heritage Foundation makes an important contribution to strengthening cultural diversity and creativity in the region. We are therefore all the more pleased to be able to continue to support the BIFF as a reliable partner," explains Maria-Rosa Berghahn, Director of the Stiftung Braunschweigischer Kulturbesitz.
Advance ticket sales for the opening film concert have already started. Tickets can be purchased online at filmfest-braunschweig.reservix.de/p/reservix/event/2425381. The event ticket can be used as a ticket for public transport in zone 40 of the BSVG from three hours before the start until closing time. Backpacks and bags whose largest side is larger than DIN A4 format (21.0 x 29.7 cm) are not permitted at the opening film concert.
DETAILS
Opening film concert: ALFRED HITCHCOCK'S PSYCHO - LIVE IN CONCERT
When? Monday, 10.11.2025 I Start 7:30 pm / Admission 6:30 pm
Where? Volkswagen Hall Braunschweig
Europaplatz 1
38100 Brunswick
Tickets? https://filmfest-braunschweig.reservix.de/p/reservix/event/2425381
ALFRED HITCHCOCK'S PSYCHO - LIVE IN CONCERT
USA 1960 | black/white | 109 min | OVD | FSK: 12
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Music: Bernard Herrmann
Performance: Staatsorchester Braunschweig - (large string orchestra)
Cast: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles, John Gavin, Martin Balsam
Note to the media: You can download the press package for the opening film concert here.