HippCast

In today's release we are delighted to share a conversation that took place earlier this month at the University of Edinburgh, hosted by Jane Sillars, Programme Director of the Masters in Film, Exhibition and Culture, along with Lizelle Bisschoff, who runs the Film Curation Masters at the University of Glasgow. The conversation featured the participation of Lisa Hoen, Director of the Tromsø International Film Festival (TIFF), who made a pit stop in Edinburgh on her way from Norway to the Reykjavik International Film Festival. The event and the following dialogue grew out of a research visit to TIFF's Silent Film Days, undertaken by HippFest Director Alison Strauss and Nell Cardozo, HippFest Development and Engagement Officer, in April 2023.

In the discussion, you'll hear how HippFest and TIFF's Silent Film Days are carving out a space for silent film with live music in contemporary cinema programming, and about some of the considerations of film curation in this specialised area. Lisa's experiences programming art house and archive film in the Arctic Circle are invaluable, and we are grateful to be able to share this insightful conversation. Expect consideration of some of the challenges to silent film programming, alongside wider topics such as the crucial importance of cinemas as social spaces, and the transformative power of live music with silent cinema. We hope you enjoy!

Relevant links:

• Read the show transcript in full here
• Read Alison's account of the trip to TIFF from earlier this year
• More about Tromsø International Film Festival (TIFF)
• More about TIFF's Silent Film Days
• More about Jo Reid's The Freedom Machine

In today’s episode, released in celebration of Silent Movie Day, we share a fascinating conversation on the final title in the season SALOME (1922), between HippFest podcast-wrangler Christina Webber and members of archive activist film collective Invisible Women: Rachel Pronger, Camilla Baier and Lauren Clarke. Invisible Women are an international collective who seek out and champion the work of women and filmmakers with marginalised identities who have been overlooked, un-credited or left out of the history of cinema. By drawing attention to these forgotten stories, they aim to reinsert female voices into the story of film.

And in today’s release this is certainly the case!

The conversation covers the visual splendour of the film, its oddness, sexiness, and humour, its contemporary resurgence and queer and feminist reclamation, but also paints a vivid picture of the scene in Hollywood at this time, and the cast and crew behind the movie. Alleged to be an entirely queer cast, SALOME (1922) is a perfect example of the subversive networks that were able to operate at the start of the 1920s, and how despite being overlooked in film history, women like Alla Nazimova and Natacha Rambova achieved incredible success.

We hope you enjoy - as always there is a full episode transcript available here.

Relevant links:

• More about the HippFest Taste of Silents season
• Book to watch SALOME (1922) in-person at the Hippodrome (Bo'ness)
• Book to watch SALOME (1922) via online live-stream (available for 48 hours)
• Find out more about the work of Invisible Women and join the mailing list

More about HippFest's touring commissions

Book to attend the CinemARC screening (Glasgow) Nov 16th

Marjory Kennedy-Fraser's films at the National Library of Scotland Moving Image Archive

More about Marion Kenny

More about Mairi Campbell

This month's episode is all about the legendary Harold Lloyd title SAFETY LAST (1923), screening as part of the upcoming Edinburgh International Film Festival in collaboration with HippFest, and featuring live accompaniment from Festival favourite Mike Nolan.

Social Media Officer and Online Coordinator Christina Webber speaks to Tamara Van Strijthem (Executive Producer for the EIFF) about this year's programme, and asks Mike Nolan about his love for silent cinema, plus the process involved when approaching a silent movie. There is of course much discussion on Harold Lloyd, other EIFF highlights to check out, and even a story beginning 'one dark and stormy night...'. Enjoy!

• Browse the full EIFF programme here
• Book tickets to see SAFETY LAST (1923) ft. live accompaniment from Mike Nolan
• Or, read the show transcript in full via the HippFest blog

As always, you can read a full show transcript here (including some photos from the eventual CITY GIRL performance) and with this episode, you can also watch a full event recording which we added to our HippFest at Home YouTube playlist, if you would rather watch the speakers as they converse.

We hope you enjoy listening, and will be back next month with more treats for your ears!

May's episode 'All Faces are Masks' is an exploration of silent cinema's portrayal of visibly different characters led by Changing Faces campaigner Dr Chris Heppell and filmmaker David Cairns. Changing Faces is a charity dedicated to providing support and promoting respect for everyone with a visible difference, and the week of this release (15th - 19th May 2023) is Face Equality Week.

Face Equality Week aims to raise awareness about the prejudice experienced by those with a visible difference. Underpinning 2023's event is the celebration of Changing Faces' ambassadors and campaigners proudly being the role models they want to see more of, and saying: "This is me". You can watch and share the campaign video, donate, or sign up for email updates in order to support the important work that Changing Faces are doing.

Many thanks to Dr Chris Heppell and David Cairns for presenting such a fascinating event at HippFest 2023. If you would prefer to read rather than listen, you can access a full English transcript here.

Bringing fresh perspectives and new relevance to archive film is one of the many pleasures of programming a silent film festival, and involving new audiences and younger people in this wonderful world has been at the festival's heart since HippFest began. This episode features a short excerpt from the live Q&A which concluded our recent presentation of New Found Sound at HippFest 2023 - with terrific performances by Megan Marshall, Chloe Gibb, Erin Richards and Anya McCheyne, as well as from the Falkirk Junior and Senior Trad Bands - plus short interviews with Jenny Alexander (HippFest Advisory Panel) and Sara Prentice (Young Scot Reward Winner) inviting some of our young audience members to share their thoughts on this year's programme.

If you would prefer, there is a full Episode Transcript available here. 

Interested in an event mentioned in this episode? Browse and book tickets.

If you would prefer to read this conversation, a full transcript  is available here.

If you would prefer, there is a full Episode Transcript available here. Links to resources mentioned in this episode are below:

• The Execution of Mary Queen of Scots (1895) - courtesy of The National Library of Scotland's Moving Image Archive
• The Loves of Mary, Queen of Scots (1923) programme notes - by commissioned for the Hippodrome Silent Film Festival 2022
• The Ballad of the Five Marys - written by Donald Smith, Luath Press
• Archive Film Agency on YouTube
• Celluloid Tapestry on YouTube

Greetings, silent film fans! We are delighted to release Episode 0 of our new podcast series, the Hippodrome Silent Film Festival Podcast - or HippCast for short. Intended as a brief audio primer, this preview episode is an opportunity to introduce online audiences to the unique HippFest experience.  To do so we have assembled a collection of voices, all sharing their impressions of the Festival.

The Hippodrome Silent Film Festival (HippFest) is Scotland's first and only festival of silent film with live music. This brand new podcast features excerpts from a host of HippFest activity: Q+As with performers, interviews with archivists, and other insightful, cross-cultural conversations about archive cinema. We hope you enjoy tuning in!

Many thanks to David Barras (Strange Boat) for recording the interviews with Neil Brand, Mark Kermode and Dr Mike Hammond. These conversations were all recorded between rehearsals at HippFest 2022. Special thanks also to First Impressions: Thinking Aloud About Film, who not only dedicated an episode to HippFest earlier in the year, but who have also allowed us to use an excerpt from this conversation as part of our show.

Happy listening! If you would prefer, a full transcript of this episode is available here.