Silent cinema festival at Istanbul Modern

ISTANBUL

Istanbul Modern will present the best examples of silent cinema.

Istanbul Modern Cinema will host the second International Istanbul Silent Cinema Days between Dec. 3 and 6. 

Bringing together pioneer examples of cinema accompanied by live music, the festival’s corporate partners are Italy’s world famous cinematheque, Cineteca di Bologna, and Eye Filmmuseum, a prestigious film museum in the Netherlands. 

The theme for this year’s festival is “Birth of the Modern Woman,” featuring many sections ranging from Diva films, Chaplin and Keaton classics, and never-before published images from the Ottoman era, to German expressionism, Suffragettes, and “colored silents.” 

This year, the festival also presents special screenings to celebrate French movie giant Gaumont’s 120th anniversary and Buster Keaton’s 120th birthday.

The screenings on Dec. 3 will be free for residents of Turkey.

Panel discussion on silent cinema 

A panel discussion will also be organized as part of the event. In recent years, major film festivals and mainstream press have shown an increasing interest in the rediscovery and restoration of silent films that were formerly believed to be lost. Given that around 80 percent of silent films worldwide are still believed to be lost, the panel will discuss what the surviving works say about film history and history in general.

In the panel discussion, expert guests will talk about the increasing visibility of silent cinema, and the role of the archives, researchers, curators, festivals and the impact of digital technology, sharing their experiences from the past examples, and their vision for the future.

The event is being organized by Kino Istanbul.