Yorkshire Silent Film Festival: The popular annual live-scored silent film festival returns

Today marks the beginning of the third Yorkshire Silent Film Festival, which will run until May 27. Founded in 2016, Yorkshire Silent Film Festival is the UK's largest celebration of live-scored silent film.
Today marks the beginning of the third Yorkshire Silent Film Festival, which will run until May 27Today marks the beginning of the third Yorkshire Silent Film Festival, which will run until May 27
Today marks the beginning of the third Yorkshire Silent Film Festival, which will run until May 27

Each May, YSFF collaborates with cinemas, theatres and community venues across Yorkshire in order to present three weeks of live music with film.

They show all types of silent film, ranging from the popular and familiar to the unknown and undiscovered.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

In the past, films from the UK, USA, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Russia, India, and China have been screened.

Every YSFF event is a live performance, with a wide variety of musicians collaborating in order to create unique, improvised scores for each film.

The YSFF also develop talent though Playing Pictures, which is a unique programme of workshops and masterclasses which allows improvising musicians to develop both their film accompaniment skills.

There will be a range of different events and workshops over the two and a half week period, including Oliver Twist with live orchestral score by Neil Brand (May 11), Another Fine Mess- A Laurel and Hardy Triple Bill (May 12) and Empire, the UK cinema premiere of Andy Warhol's minimalist epic (May 27).

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

There will also be a Silent Film All-Dayer at Abbeydale Picture House, Sheffield's most atmospheric old cinema, on May 12.

This film festival will take place at various locations throughout Yorkshire, including Hebden Bridge, Leeds, Scarborough, Sheffield and York, with performances happening at different venues within each location.

Artists include composer Monty Atkins, celloist Liz Hanks, pianist Jonny Best and percussionist James Wood. The Covent Garden Sinfonia will also be featuring in this festival.

This film festival celebrates the world of silent film, with films from around the globe being screened and musicians, composers and presenters all collaborating to make this festival as spectacular as its previous two years.

It is expected to be highly attended this year and draw in crowds from not only Yorkshire, but from further afield.