National
February
12 – 16 February Slapstick Festival, Bristol Now in its 21st year and what has grown to be the largest festival of slapstick comedy in Europe. This year amongst the silent film highlights, Keaton classics Steamboat Bill Jr and The Saphead; Harold LLoyd in The Freshman; the quite brilliant Northull Gang, a gentle Swedish comedy about four women trying to navigate a male dominated world (a sort of pre-cursor to Sex And The City); plus a whole day of wonderful Soviet comedies – The Girl With A Hatbox, The House on Trubnaya, Chess Fever and the very rarely screened The Opportunist (aka Shkurnik). And all with live music and knowledgeable intros. Various locations, Bristol Link
28 February – 15 March – Borderlines Film Festival Now in its twenty second year, the annual Borderlines Film Festival runs in the Shropshire, Hereford and Marches areas. Usually featuring a smattering of silents, details are to be confirmed . Various venues. Link
March
19 – 23 March. HippFest – Hippodrome Festival of Silent Film Scotland’s premier silent film festival takes place in Scotland’s oldest purpose-built cinema, with a range of British and international silent films. Its always a packed programme with films, presentations and discussion, all with live musical accompaniment of the highest caliber. Details to be announced. Hippodrome Cinema, Bo’ness, Scotland Link
April
5 – 6 April Kennington Bioscope Silent Film Weekend No silent film festival programme would be complete without the KenBio’s awesome weekenders, all featuring knowledgeable introductions and live musical accompaniment. Details TBC but should include The Rat (UK 1925), The Ring (UK 1928), Revolutionshochzeit / The Last Night (Germany 1928), Die Straße / The Street (Germany 1923) and Orochi / The Serpent (Japan 1925) plus lots more. Cinema Museum, London Link
May
TBC British Silent Film Festival Symposium Following its welcome return last year it is hoped that this event will take place once again in 2025. But no confirmation as yet. King’s College, London No link yet.
July
23 – 27 July Cinema Rediscovered, Bristol The 9th annual event bringing the finest digital restorations, contemporary classics and film print rarities back where they belong – on the big screen, including a selection of silents. No programme details as yet Various cinemas across Bristol. Link
September
TBC Wareham Silent Film Weekender Hopefully this new festival will return for a third year but no details as yet. The Rex Cinema, Wareham No link yet.
TBC British Silent Film Festival ? Absent for too long, and included here more in hope than expectation. Can’t say more than that but working on the theory that if we list it then it will happen! Phoenix Cinema, Leicester ? Link
October
8 – 19 October London Film Festival Hopefully this year with a stronger silent film element than last year’s single screening (but we said that last year as well). Venues across London Link
November
TBC Kenningtom Bioscope Silent Laughter Weekend As always, expect the rare, the unusual and the rarely screened. No programme details as yet Cinema Museum, Lambeth Link
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International
January
16 – 19 January Netherlands Silent Film Festival Highlights include Lillian Gish in The Wind, classic western Three Bad Men, Japanese enigma A Page Of Madness and a dual role for Alla Nazimova in The Red Lantern. Plus lots more. All with live musical accompaniment. Pand P and Parktheater, Eindhoven Link
22 – 26 January Copenhagen Silent Film Festival Now in its sixth year, this years festival celebrates the impending completion of the Danish Film Institute‘s programme to digitize and put on-line its entire silent film holdings, amounting to some 400 films. The festival opens with Benjamin Christensen’s His Wife, The Unknown (Seine Frau, die Unbekannte) and Lubitsch’s Kohlhiesels Daughters (Kohlhiesels Töchter). Other screenings include Japanese masterpiece I Was Born, But… and C T. Dreyer’s Master of the House. Cinematheque, Copenhagen Link
February
13 – 23 February Berlin International Film Festival. Programme to be confirmed. Usually containing a strong element of silent film. Berlin, Germany Link
28 February – 1 March Kansas Silent Film Festival Now in its 28th year, this year’s programme includes Victor McLaglen & Louise Brook in A Girl In Every Port, Ernst Lubitsch’s Lady Windermere’s Fan, and Clara Bow in Mantrap. White Concert Hall, Washburn University, Topeka, Kansas Link
April
11 – 13 April– Toronto Silent Film Festival Now in its 15th year. Programme details to be confirmed. Revue Cinema, Toronto, Canada Link
23 – 27 April Silent Film Days _ Tromso International Film Festival Silent Film Days is an arena for unique collaborations between professional musicians from around the world, with specially composed music performed live to silent film classics of all genres. No programme details as yet. Verdensteatret Cinematheque, Tromso, Norway Link
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May
– San Francisco Silent Film Festival Now in its 27th year but sadly no longer at the famous Castro Theatre. No programme details as yet. All films performed with live musical accompaniment from some of the world’s foremost silent film musicians. Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco, USA Link
The Nitrate Picture Show The Nitrate Picture Show, the world’s festival of film conservation, returns for its eighth year. The festival features screenings of vintage nitrate prints from international archives—including the Eastman Museum’s own collection. No programme details as yet…they are not normally announced until the first day of the festival. Eastman Museum, Rochester, New York, USA Link
June
Il Cinema Ritrovato, A festival dedicated to the rediscovery of rare and little-known films with a particular focus on the origins of cinema and the silent movie period. Now in its 38th year, it is organised every summer by the Cineteca di Bologna and is one of the world’s major festivals of film restoration with a strong silent element. No programme details as yet Various locations, Bologna, Italy Link
July
Maine Silent Film Festival The second running of this festival. Screenings include features Timothy’s Quest ( 1922) and Yankee Doodle in Berlin 1919) plus a varied selection of shorts. All films come with live musical accompaniment by Doug Prostik. Alamo Theatre, Bucksport, Maine USA Link
September
TBC Primoji Banga (Early Film) Festival This will be the ninth edition of the Pirmoji Banga Film Festival. No details as yet. Vilnius, Lithuania Link
October
Pordenone Silent Film Festival Running since 1982 as a collaborative effort between La Cineteca del Friuli in Gemona and the Cinemazero filmclub in Pordenone, the Giornate del Cinema Muto, aka Pordenone Silent Film Festival, has established itself as the leading international event dedicated to the preservation, diffusion, and study of the first thirty years of cinema. No programme details as yet. Cinema Verdi, Pordenone, Italy Link
Live Score Film Festival Running since 2019, all films come with live musical accompaniment. No programme details as yet. Setubal, Portugal Link
Marie Dressler Foundation – Vintage Film Festival In 1992, a group of film enthusiasts involved in the restoration of the Marie Dressler house had a wild idea. Why not hold a festival showing the films in which Marie Dressler had starred? This seemingly fantastic idea grew into the present form in which they show a variety of films generally made before about 55-60 years ago, often, although not always, including a film starring Marie Dressler. No programme details as yet. Capitol Theater, Port Hope, Ontario, Canada Link
December
TBC Istanbul Silent Cinema Days Festival. No further details at present. Istanbul, Turkey
Silentfilmcalendar.org 