This year theBraunschweig International Film Festival (BIFF)its40th edition. On the occasion of the anniversaryNovember 09, 2026for the opening film concert of LA LA LAND IN CONCERTas a German premiere - the film is celebrating its tenth birthday this year. Advance ticket sales for the opening in the Volkswagen Halle start today.
Hardly any other modern original musical has inspired audiences, critics and award juries around the world as much asLA LA LAND. The production has wonsix Oscarsandnumerous international film awards- and counts with14 Oscar nominationsis one of the three most nominated films in Oscar history. The Braunschweig International Film Festival (BIFF) is showingLA LA LAND IN CONCERTonNovember 09as the grand opening film concert in theVolkswagen Hall Brunswick.
"WithLA LA LAND IN CONCERTwe are not only bringing a special film to the big stage - but also very unusual music. The music by Justin Hurwitz forLA LA LANDis regularly ranked by film and soundtrack fans as one of the most influential film scores of the 2010s," enthuses festival director Karina Gauerhof. The film music combines a classic Hollywood musical sound with jazz influences - the well-known song "City of Stars" won theOscar for Best Film SongJustin Hurwitz also won the Oscar for Best Film Music. The music also receivedGolden Globe, BAFTA and Grammy Awards. Thorsten Rinke, Chairman of the Filmfest Association, is also very pleased about this year's opening: "We have a lot planned for the anniversary year of the Filmfest. With the announcement ofLA LA LAND IN CONCERTwe are now giving a first preview of a brilliant 40th film festival year!"
LA LA LAND: A love story with multi-award-winning film music
The movie itself invites you to dream. Perhaps the movie fans still remember their best visit to the cinema ten years ago? It's quite possible that they looked dreamily up at the sky on their way home through the "City of Lions" and hummed "City of Stars".
Now the Oscar-winning Lionsgate filmLA LA LANDstarring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, written and directed by Damien Chazelle, can now be enjoyed in a breathtaking live concert to mark the 10th anniversary. The opening film concert will be accompanied by the Braunschweig State Orchestra under the direction of Finnish-American conductor Erik Ochsner. "The greatest film musical of the 21st century is a truly appropriate film concert for the opening of the 40th Braunschweig International Film Festival," says Gauerhof.
LA LA LANDtells the captivating story of Sebastian, a promising pianist, and Mia, an aspiring actress, whose paths cross in Los Angeles. The film follows their love story as Sebastian and Mia try to advance their careers - accompanied by the wonderful score by Justin Hurwitz. The large Staatsorchester Braunschweig orchestra and jazz musicians perform the soundtrack to the film live. Verena Rast, orchestra director of the Staatsorchester Braunschweig, explains: "LA LA LANDis an extraordinary project for the Braunschweig State Orchestra. We play as a classical orchestra with a jazz band and thus combine the symphonic sound world with the expressive power of jazz. Both ensembles contribute their own sound culture. This is not just a concert project, it will once again be a very special film music experience and great cinema!"
SBK: Opening film concert enriches the local cultural landscape
Such an extraordinary and elaborate production cannot be realized without the active support of key partners. TheBraunschweig Cultural Heritage Foundation (SBK)is not only a constant supporter of the Staatstheater Braunschweig, but also a long-standing partner of the Braunschweig International Film Festival (BIFF).Director Maria-Rosa Berghahnexplains: "The Braunschweig Film Festival not only marks a milestone in the annual calendar of events, the opening film concert in particular, with its concept, enriches the local cultural landscape in an outstanding way. We are happy to support the opening as the main sponsor."
AlsoJens-Uwe Freitag, Chairman of the Board of BS|ENERGY- which is making the opening film concert possible as co-main sponsor - is also looking forward toLA LA LAND IN CONCERT"Few films in recent years have emotionalized people as much as this film. It has not only electrified the film festival, but definitely us too." The opening film concert is presented in cooperation with the Braunschweig State Orchestra and the Braunschweig State Theatre, supported by the Stiftung Braunschweigischer Kulturbesitz (SBK) and BS|ENERGY. Advance ticket sales for the opening film concert start on Friday (June 12, 2026) at 12 noon at tickets.filmfest-braunschweig.de.
ECK DATA
Opening film concert:LA LA LAND - IN CONCERT
When: Monday, 09.11.2026 I Start 7:30 pm / Admission 6:30 pm
Where: Volkswagen Halle Braunschweig
Europaplatz 1
38100 Brunswick
tickets
LA LA LAND - IN CONCERT
USA 2016 | 128 min | OVD | FSK: 6
German premiere
Director: Damien Chazelle
Music: Justin Hurwitz
Performance: Braunschweig State Orchestra
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, John Legend, Callie Hernandez, Rosemarie DeWitt
Produced by: Hurwitz Concerts
In Concert Music Preparation: JoAnn Kane Music
Technical Services: Black Ink Presents
Show Programming: Mike Kasper