Scotland’s silent film festival celebrates its crystal anniversary this year, as HippFest announces its milestone 15th edition to take place Wednesday 19 to Sunday 23 March 2025. Formally known as the Hippodrome Silent Film Festival and named for the Hippodrome Cinema in Bo’ness, HippFest’s 2025 programme will celebrate over 100 years of filmmaking from cinematographers across the globe, along with the customary star studded programme from the Golden Age of Hollywood.
For its 15th edition HippFest 2025 casts its eyes globally, with an international programme of silent cinema. On Wednesday 19 March, the Festival focuses on Scandinavia with two features that explore different sides of the region. Folklore, the supernatural and ritual weave a sinister spell in Before the Face of the Sea (Meren kasvojen edessä) (1926) accompanied by Jane Gardner and Caroline Salmon. This eerie drama bears all the hallmarks of a fully-fledged folkhorror, intensified by the starkly beautiful archipelago locations of Finland. And a beautiful, naturalistic portrait of everyday life of the indigenous people of Sweden; With Reindeer and Sled in Inka Länta’s Winterland (Med ackja och ren i Inka Läntas vinterland) (1926) is the earliest feature-length documentation of the Sámi, following Inka Länta and her family of reindeer herders in northern Sweden as they strive to subsist in the harsh winter months.
To accompany the opening night film, HippFest is proud to present the UK premiere of a new music commission by Sámi-Finnish joiker and electronic musician Hildá Länsman and sound designer Tuomas Norvio, collaborating with the Norwegian-Sámi musician Lávre Johan Eira and Swedish composer, cellist and bass guitarist Svante Henryson.
In a pioneering move HippFest’s Friday Night Gala will present its star-studded feature film with optional Audio Description available to visually impaired audiences via headphones, alongside a suite of pre-screening aids such as braille compatible script and film primer. With a dress code of your best Tartan glamour, the inimitable Mary Pickford will star in Maurice Tourneur’s The Pride of the Clan (1917). Stephen Horne on piano, flute, accordion and Elizabeth-Jane Baldry on harp will provide the soundtrack to this charming tale of West Coast fisher-folk that will beguile you with its proud tartan heart.
HippFest 2025 comes to a close on Sunday 23 March with Smouldering Fires (1925), an intelligent and moving love-triangle drama; and Forgotten Faces (1928), a tour de force final act. Meet “Heliotrope” Harry – the most debonair of all gentlemen thieves to have ever graced a cinema screen. Harry might be a master criminal, but his gallantry knows no bounds. His life as a loyal husband and devoted father is threatened by a series of explosive events which see Harry finding out the truth about his treacherous wife and forced to act quickly to protect his baby daughter from her mother’s depravity. Stephen Horne and Frank Bockius underscore the drama on piano, accordion, flute and percussion. Cleverly directed and tightly scripted, this splendid film is enjoying a well deserved renaissance and will be a seat-holding climax to HippFest’s 15th celebration.
The full programme can be viewed at the HippFest website.
Festival Director Alison Strauss looks forward to HippFest’s landmark year, saying: “The team and I are thrilled to be sharing this superlative line-up of silent films presented with unrivalled live music accompaniment. And we want everyone to know that the fun doesn’t end with great films. There are many more immersive treats on offer including excursions, quizzes, guided tours, an exhibition, workshops, talks, an online programme and of course a party! We are proud that HippFest has reached this milestone edition, and can take its place alongside the best arts festivals that Scotland has to offer, cultivating an international and ever-growing community of people with an adventurous appetite for extraordinary cinema.”
Sambrooke Scott, Head of Audience Development at Screen Scotland said: “HippFest is a one-of-a-kind celebration of silent cinema, bringing rare cinema gems to life through wonderful live musical scores performed by fantastic musicians from Scotland and beyond. With its welcoming community spirit in the stunning Hippodrome cinema it delivers a magical, immersive experience for all ages. The recently announced Multi-Year Funding support for the festival is testament to their quality, impact, and ambition. It will provide surety of our support through to April 2028 and help cement them as one of Scotland's key film festivals. Screen Scotland is a proud supporter of the Festival and we look forward to joining the celebrations.”
The 15th edition of HippFest takes place Wednesday 19 - Sunday 23 March 2025 at the Hippodrome in Bo’ness and online, with selected events available to view online on-demand within a 48-hour viewing window after the in-person screenings.
Festival-goers can get a taste of what’s to come with HippFest’s pre-Festival presentations which are broadcast on the Falkirk Leisure & Culture YouTube channel.
Tickets are on sale now for the full programme, as well as the HippFest Festival and Weekend Pass. For full programme information and to book tickets visit the HippFest website.
HippFest is a project of Falkirk Council, supported by Film Hub Scotland, part of the BFI’s Film Audience Network, and funded by Screen Scotland and National Lottery funding from the BFI.
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Image credits: Photo courtesy of Kat Gollock