18. Silent Film Festival - Elements

18. Silent Film Festival ELEMENTS
December 7-10, 2017

Between 7th and 10th December film enthusiasts can take part in the the 18th Silent Film Festival  - a unique celebration of cinema from the beginning of the 20th century. The viewers in Krakow will have a chance to see silent films from all over the world, many of them digitally reconstructed. The film screenings will be accompanied by live music performances.

The main theme of this year’s edition are the ELEMENTS - on one hand it is the relationship between nature and humankind, on the other it’s culture and the power of human mind, even with its flaws and feelings trying to run it. All film productions show natural forces and human passions at large, as well as art trying to tame nature.
The festival will open with the screening of Marcel L’Herbier’s moving drama Man of the Sea at Manggha Museum of Japanese Art and Technology. It is a story of a conflict between father and son woven into a bigger theme of a universal fight between good and evil. The screening will be accompanied by a live performance of a recently reactivated avant-folk band Księżyc, playing with a musician and composer Paweł Romańczuk. Afterwards, French Institute (Institut français de Pologne) will invite the viewers to celebrate the start of the festival with a glass of wine.

The programme includes pictures showing nature echoing human emotions, like in The Flood - the last work of a master film impressionist Louis Delluc, taking place at the river Rhône. This amazing story of a love triangle was shot in incredibly difficult weather conditions, during a real flood. In Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans, Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau created an allegorical tale about the inner battle of a man who has to choose between a seductive woman from the big city and his loving wife. Murnau’s mystical work has been honored with three Academy Awards and to this day it is considered one of the best silent films in history. This year marks the 90th anniversary of its world premiere, which took place on September 23, 1927.
The viewers in Krakow will also have an opportunity to see The Wind - the best film Victor Sjöström, a master of Swedish film school, made in Hollywood. Lillian Gish, the star of silent film, plays a young girl trapped in an unhappy marriage, who slowly loses her mind fighting with the wind.

Another legendary actress appearing on screen will be Pola Negri - the first Polish actress, who became famous worldwide. 120 years since she was born and 30 years since her death, the organisers celebrate her work with the film A Woman of the World directed by Malcolm St. Clair. Pola Negri plays an extravagant countess, whose flamboyant lifestyle seems to disturb the local community of a small town.

Tales of heroic battles between man and nature will also appear on screen. Among them, documentary film The Great White Silence by Herbert G. Ponting telling a story of a British polar expedition, who faced extreme weather on their way to the South Pole in 1910. The White Hell of Pitz Palu shows three climbers trying to survive a snowstorm in the Alps. On screen, one of the most controversial figures of German cinema, Leni Rifenstahl. This impressive mountain film has inspired many artists, including Quentin Tarantino, who has made many references to it in his film Inglourious Basterds. The harmony of a peaceful relationship between nature and mankind can be seen in Aleksandr Dovzhenko’s The Earth, a masterpiece of Ukrainian cinema.

Polish film will be represented by Halka directed by Konstanty Meglicki, a film adaptation of the famous opera by Stanisław Moniuszko. It is a turbulent story of love and betrayal, presented in a digitally restored version with new music by Jerzy Rogiewicz. TodMachine, presented this year at the Polish Film Festival in Gdynia, is a German expressionism inspired, modern silent film with elements of horror and science-fiction. The screening will be followed by a Q&A session with the filmmakers.

Both silent film enthusiasts, as well as those beginning their adventure with the cinema from this era, should not miss the screening of the film Lumière! L'aventure commence. Using 114 digitally reconstructed pictures, director of Cannes Film Festival and Institute Lumière, Thierry Frémaux tells an awe-inspiring tale of the birth of cinema and the groundbreaking work of its pioneers.

The youngest viewers can take part in the Festival on Sunday during two meetings of Kids’ Screening: Baranki in Silent Cinema. Children will be able to attend workshop and presentations about the beginnings of cinema and create their own stop-motion animation. They will also have a chance to see the film A Trip to the Moon with live music by SALK, as well as try and create a short music piece to a fragment of a silent film.

The participants of Silent Film Festival have a unique opportunity to experience cinema in a way close that from a hundred years ago, but in a new, modern form. Film screenings are accompanied by live music performed by both new and renowned music bands, as well as most versatile solo artists.
Among many musical guests of this year’s edition, the audience will have a chance to hear the duo Pin Park playing on EMS synthesizers and Bastarda, a band created by the Festival’s old friend Paweł Szamburski, providing new interpretations of medieval music. Once again, Kino Pod Baranami will welcome Semi-Invented Trio (Konarski/Chytrzyński/Berny), the band SALK specialising in lyrical electronics and composer and music producer Jacaszek, whose live act will be illustrated by a screening of the film Nanook of the North. Also performing on stage, a funk loving DJ DiscoMule and Lonker See, a quartet combining guitar and drums with hypnotic sounds of a free jazz saxophone. Multi-instrumentalist and composer Piotr Zabrodzki will mix music genres with a dose of humour, and Stefan Wesołowski will perform unique compositions of chamber music and electronics in his attempt in finding transcendence in sound.

On Saturday night, an afterparty will take place at Betel Club, where a DJ and radio host Eta Hox will play to short documentaries about Krakow. For this event, entrance is free.

All films presented with Polish and English subtitles*.
* Lumière! L’aventure commence, Film images of old Krakow, Silent era erotic footage - no English subtitles

TICKETS:
Films with live music: 32 PLN | 25 PLN
Films without live music: 20 PLN | 15 PLN
Opening screening: 45 PLN | 40 PLN (with Entry pass) 
Silent era erotic footage: 25 PLN 
Afterparty at Betel Club: free entrance
Kids screening: 11 PLN & 15 PLN

Entry pass (11 screenings): 148 PLN*    
* Excluding the opening screening and Silent era erotic footage 
Entry pass (2 kids screenings): 22 PLN

* To buy an Entry pass online, please contact: kasa@kinopodbaranami.pl.

PROGRAMME:

Thursday, December 7, 2017

17.45 HALKA | HALKA
(Konstanty Meglicki) PL 1929, 89'

Digitally reconstructed film adaptation of a turbulent love story based on the famous opera by Stanisław Moniuszko. New music score by Jerzy Rogiewicz.

Partner: National Film Archive - Audiovisual Institute

20.00 OPENING SCREENING: 
MAN OF THE SEA | L’HOMME DU LARGE
(Marcel L'Herbier) FR 1920, 86'

L'Homme du large, a film by Marcel L’Herbier.
A Gaumont production, 1920. Collection Musée Gaumont. © Gaumont

Poetic tale of the sea, about the universal conflict between father and son. An impressionist take on the idea of visual music.

live music: KSIĘŻYC i Paweł Romańczuk
Partner: Institut français de Pologne
Muzeum Sztuki i Techniki Japońskiej Manggha (ul. M. Konopnickiej 26)

Friday, December 8, 2017

17.00 THE GREAT WHITE SILENCE | THE GREAT WHITE SILENCE
(Herbert G. Ponting) GB 1924, 108’

Extraordinary film, documenting the race to the South Pole led by Captain Scott. New music score by Simon Fisher Turner.

20.00 THE WHITE HELL OF PITZ PALU | DIE WEISSE HÖLLE VOM PIZ PALÜ
(Arnold Fanck, Georg Wilhelm Pabst) DE 1929, 75’

Young couple helps a desperate man to look for his wife up on the slopes of Piz Palu. An impressive mountain film starring Leni Riefenstahl.

live music: Pin Park

22.00 JACASZEK PLAYS TO NANOOK
NANOOK OF THE NORTH | NANOOK OF THE NORTH
(Robert Flaherty) US/FR 1922, 79’

The first full-length documentary film. Priceless ethnographic documentary registering the life of Nanook, an Inuit from Hudson Bay.

concert: Jacaszek

23.30 SILENT ERA EROTIC FOOTAGE | NIEME EROTYKI
1920-1930, 40’ (18+)

A set of silent era adult-only erotic films, recently discovered in the attic of a "very respectable family". Adults only.

live music: DiscoMule

Saturday, December 9, 2017

15.00 TODMACHINE | TODMACHINE
(Bogusław Kornaś) PL 2016, 84'

Forbidding story of a war Machine turning against its creators. Inspired by German expressionism, a modern silent film with elements of science-fiction and horror.

Q&A after the screening:
Bogusław Kornaś, Grzegorz Stokłosa i Małgorzata Stankowska

18.30 THE FLOOD | L'INONDATION
(Louis Delluc) FR 1924, 90'

Moving story of a love triangle and of people fighting with forces of nature. The last work of a master impressionist.

live music: Stefan Wesołowski

21.15 EARTH | ZEMLYA
(Aleksandr Dowżenko) USSR 1930, 84’

Visually astonishing, poetic tale about the relationship between mankind and Mother Earth. Ukrainian silent film masterpiece.

live music: Bastarda
Partner: Dovzhenko Centre

23.00 AFTERPARTY at BETEL CLUB
FILM IMAGES OF OLD KRAKOW | FILMOWE OBRAZY STAREGO KRAKOWA
PL 1913-1929, 64’

Unique screening of movie shots of the old Krakow. Fantastic travel in time.

live music: Eta Hox
Partner: National Film Archive - Audiovisual Institute
Klub Betel (pl. Szczepański 3)

Sunday, December 10, 2017

11.00 BARANKI W NIEMYM KINIE I: RUCHOME OBRAZY
kids workshop

12.15 BARANKI W NIEMYM KINIE II: MUZYKA W NIEMYM KINIE
A TRIP TO THE MOON | LE VOYAGE DANS LA LUNE
(Georges Méliès) FR 1902, 15'

The first-ever science fiction film. Extravagant idea, ingenious realisation. Magic on screen and the triumph of imagination.

live music: SALK
music workshop for kids
Partner: Institut français de Pologne

13.00 LUMIÈRE L'AVENTURE COMMENCE  | LUMIÈRE! L’AVENTURE COMMENCE
(Thierry Frémaux) FR 2016, 90’

Extraordinary tale about the very beginning of cinema told by the director of Cannes Film Festival and Institut Lumière.

15.00 A WOMAN OF THE WORLD | A WOMAN OF THE WORLD
(Malcolm St. Clair) US 1925, 70’

An extravagant Italian countess causes moral outrage in a small town in America. A great little comedy drama starring Pola Negri, the first Polish actress to become a world famous star.

live music: Piotr Zabrodzki

18.00 SUNRISE: A SONG OF TWO HUMANS | SUNRISE: A SONG OF TWO HUMANS
(Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau) US 1927, 94’

An allegorical tale about the power of love and the ultimate fight between good and evil. The first picture by Friedrich W. Murnau made in Hollywood, awarded with three Oscars. A masterpiece of silent film

live music: Semi-Invented Trio (Konarski/Chytrzyński/Berny)

21.00 THE WIND | THE WIND
(Victor Sjöström) US 1928, 73'

Dramatic story of a woman married to a gruff man, who slowly loses her mind against the raging wind. The last great role of a silent film star, Lillian Gish.

live music: Lonker See
Partner: National Film Archive - Audiovisual Institute

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