ONE of Alfred Hitchcock’s early masterpieces is to get a unique screening with live music – and you could be on the VIP guest list.

Blackmail is to be shown as part of the Short Sounds Film Festival, which runs from October 12-15.

Although renowned as Britain’s first talking picture, Blackmail was made simultaneously in a silent version.

It is this little-seen version that will be shown on Sunday, October 15. An original score by Jonathan Lloyd will be performed live by Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra’s contemporary music ensemble Kokoro.

The film is a still-gripping thriller about a young woman who kills a sex attacker, putting herself and her police officer boyfriend at the mercy of a blackmailer.

We have two pairs of tickets which will not only get you into the film but also a VIP reception beforehand.

And everyone in the audience can stay for a talk by Maike Helmers, a senior lecturer in sound design and editing at Bournemouth University.

Short Sounds will celebrate music and sound in the movies with a festival competition, installations, workshops and masterclasses.

It is organised by Bournemouth company White Lantern Film.

Dan Pringle of White Lantern, who directed the Bournemouth-shot horror film K-Shop, said Hitchcock still looms large for film-makers.

“He’s still so relevant. In the industry, people still talk about Hitchcock like he was here five years ago, but some of these are films that are coming up to 100 years old,” he said.

Short Sounds has attracted support from Oscar-winning sound man Glenn Freemantle (of Gravity and Slumdog Millionaire) and Emmy-nominated composer Rupert Gregson-Williams, who wrote the score for this year’s hit Wonder Woman.

Also on the festival jury are James Harrison, sound designer for The Martian; Barnaby Smyth, supervising foley artist for the Kingsman franchise; and director Christopher Smith of Creep and Severance.

Barnaby Smyth will conduct a foley sound session for a live audience on Thursday, October 12, while Christopher Smith will be reunited with the composing outfit Toydrum for a panel discussion about scoring their 2017 release Detour.

Glenn Freemantle and Rupert Gregson-Williams will be in Bournemouth on Friday, October 13, for audience masterclasses and the festival film awards ceremony.

Blackmail will close the festival on Sunday, October 15.

The event is also supported by Bournemouth University, Absolute Music, Bamm and Kin, with events at several sites including Pavilion Dance South West and Absolute Music Centre.

Detials are at shortsounds.co.uk

To stand a chance of winning a pair of VIP tickets to Blackmail, just drop an email, with ‘Blackmail competition’ in the subject line, to digital@bournemouthecho.co.uk by 9am on Monday, October 2.