A New Look at Our Oldest Films

The final instalment in our pre-festival HippFest at Home programme is inspired by the recent release of BFI curator Bryony Dixon's book The Story of Victorian Film. She takes new look at the exciting early years of film, when a bunch of risk-taking and creative young pioneers, mostly in their twenties, threw their energies in to this new commercial venture. In the tough competitive world of entertainment they had to produce novelty, impact and aesthetic appeal and to demonstrate the mesmerising effects of the new medium.
In this illustrated presentation, BFI curator Bryony Dixon takes us on a whistle-stop tour of Victorian cinema and introduces us to some of the fascinating personalities who made our first films... featuring two clips accompanied by HippFest favourite John Sweeney!
About the speaker:
Bryony Dixon is the curator for silent film at the BFI National Archive. She writes about and curates programmes of silent film all over the world as well as being lead curator with the technical team on archive restorations including the silent films of Alfred Hitchcock and Anthony Asquith, the exploration films, South, The Great White Silence, Epic of Everest and many more. She is currently working on the Stoll Sherlock Holmes series on 1921-23, early Natural History film and a programme of early colour film. She is the author of BFI books 100 Silent Films (2011) and The Story of Victorian Film (2023).
About HippFest:
The Hippodrome Silent Film Festival is Scotland’s first and only festival of silent film with live music, centred in and inspired by Scotland’s first and oldest cinema; featuring exceptional screenings, commissions, workshops, community events and touring. Renowned for its warm welcome and inclusive atmosphere, HippFest attracts a broad audience of cinema-goers, music lovers, and industry professionals, cultivating an international community with an adventurous appetite for extraordinary cinema.
HippFest will return from 20 - 24 March, 2024. For more info click here: www.hippodrome...

[@heathermurray5148]

That was great thank you very much

[@BryonyDixon-d7r]

Hello all!