| Date | |
|---|---|
| Author | DCM |
| Categories | cinemaExhibitor News |
The 2014 Hippodrome Festival of Silent Cinema, which came to a close on Sunday 16th March, was the most successful yet, organisers have revealed. The five day Festival, which takes place at Scotland’s oldest purpose-built cinema, the Bo’ness Hippodrome, saw over 2,500 attendees at screenings, workshops and community events, including a record breaking 1,751 tickets sold for the 14 ticketed events, eight of which were completely sold out. The Festival offered a packed programme of big screen classics and forgotten gems, with live soundtracks from some of the world’s leading accompanists, including Neil Brand, Stephen Horne and The Dodge Brothers.
The Dodge Brothers performing at A Beggars Life
Alison Strauss, Director of the Festival and programmer of the Hippodrome year-round said: “The line-up for our fourth year has been superlative in terms of the quality of the musicians performing and the range of films we were able to source for the progamme, and the audiences have responded with such warmth and enthusiasm. We have been gathering feedback throughout the five days and continue to do so on-line but already we are getting a sense of the incredible wave of positivity from everyone attending.”
The Festival, which is organised by Falkirk Community Trust, with key funding from Falkirk Council and Creative Scotland, saw audiences travel from as far afield as London to experience its unique programme and setting.
Ian Scott, Chair of Falkirk Community Trust, said: “We are delighted that this year’s Hippodrome Festival of Silent Cinema has been the most popular yet, breaking Box Office records and allowing the local community and visitors from across the country to experience the Bo’ness Hippodrome at its very best. As well as the numerous sell-out ticketed events, the Festival also saw free workshops at Youth Clubs, exhibition and drop ins at the Bo’ness Library, Heritage Walks and tours at Kinneil House which engaged the whole local area in the magic of silent cinema.”
Anyone who missed Jane Gardner’s specially-commissioned soundtrack to Japanese gangster noir Dragnet Girl, which received its world premiere at the Festival, will have a chance to see it as it tours across cinemas in Scotland in Spring / Summer 2014, supported by Film Hub Scotland, part of BFI’s Film Audience Network.
Plans are already underway for the fifth annual Festival, which will take place in March 2015, and dates will be announced in the Autumn.