All ISFFM 2017 screenings will be open to the public for free on a first come, first served basis.
Started in 2007 as the very first event of its kind in Asia, the International Silent Film Festival Manila promises to once more bring an extraordinary experience to film lovers and music aficionados alike. This year, the Philippine-Italian Association, the Japan Foundation Manila, Goethe-Institut Philippinen, the Film Development Council of the Philippines, Instituto Cervantes, the British Council, and the Embassies of the United States of America, France and Austria, are proud to present the 11th International Silent Film Festival in Manila. ISFFM 2017 brings together the very best of silent cinema from its nine member-countries, to be accompanied by the best Filipino musicians on the scene and a French-Vietnamese guest artist.
On Friday, September 1, at 7:30PM, the British Council will present a unique offering. Thanks to the discovery of an alternative print at the Brussels Cinematheque Royale, and advancement in photo-chemical and digital techniques, the British Film Institute has restored the magnificence of Anthony Asquith's Underground, a 1928 silent romance that reveals 1920s London life in the underground tube system. A live musical performance by dub band Goodleaf will accompany the film.
At 9:30PM, also on September 1, the Embassy of France to the Philippines will present L'Inhumaine or The New Enchantment (1923), a story of love and deceit directed by Marcel L’Herbier. The film will be scored by the French-Vietnamese harpist Heloïse LaHarpe, together with Ryan Villamor on piano and synthesizer and Aldous Castro on percussion and handpans.
On Saturday, September 2 at 3:00PM, the Philippine Italian Association together with the Embassy of Italy will screen the world premiere of an experimental silent film by Filipino-Italian director Ruben Maria Soriquez: Una Famiglia Perfetta or A Perfect Family (2017). The movie will be live-scored by the instrumental rock trio Tom's Story.
At 5:30PM, the Japan Foundation, Manila will feature Hijosen no Onna or Dragnet Girl (1933) by Yasujiro Ozu. This screening will feature a rare performance by Ichiro Kataoka, a noted benshi or silent film narrator/actor/storyteller from Japan, who will provide a live interpretation of the silent film. The screening and narration will be accompanied by The Celso Espejo Rondalla, a group which plays Filipino music on traditional native string instruments.
Ending the night with an 8:00PM screening will be the Philippines with Gym Lumbera's 2-person drama Taglish (2012), which started as a damaged film entitled Tagalog, then English, and finally the present title Taglish. The film will be accompanied by the stoner-metal quartet Kapitan Kulam.
On Sunday, September 3, at 3:00PM, the Embassy of Austria will feature Cafè Elektric (1927) by Gustav Ucicky. Café Elektric was the last film made and released by Sascha-Film, the first major film studio in Vienna. The live score will be played by one of the most established Filipino bands, Rivermaya.
Later at 5:30PM, Goethe-Institut Philippinen will screen one of silent cinema’s masterworks, Pandora’s Box (1929), by George Wilhelm Pabst. Based on the controversial plays of Frank Wedekind, the film features the dazzling Louise Brooks in her classic bobbed hairstyle as Lulu. Pandora’s Box will be accompanied by the band Sandwich, led by local rock icon Raymund Marasigan.
Closing the festival at 8:00PM will be the U.S. Embassy's screening of one of the most-revered comedies of the silent era, The General (1926). Co-directed by Clyde Bruckman and Buster Keaton, the film also stars the iconic Keaton as an ill-fated railroad engineer. The film will be scored by a band of veteran musicians -- exponents of Motown, Stax, Funk, Blues and Soul - the Flippin Soul Stompers.
This year's film's festival experience will have a unique addition, an exhibit at The Atrium of the Shangri-La by partner organization Para sa Sining, from August 31 to September 3. This community of creative collaborators will also present contemporary films of the silent film genre by their member-filmmakers.
On September 3 at 2:00PM, 7:15PM and 9:30PM, the group will present Musika xPelikula, during which their films will be scored by live musical performances from young and upcoming Filipino artists.
The 11th International Silent Film Festival is made possible in partnership with Shangri-La Plaza, Para sa Sining, the National Film Center of The Museum of Modern Art of Tokyo, the Embassies of Italy, Japan, and Spain, Filmoteca de España, Institut Français, JEC Philippines and Marks & Spencer London.
For more information on the schedule and inquiries, visit the International Silent Film Festival Manila Facebook page at facebook.com/InternationalSilentFilmFestivalManila.
For more information on the schedule and inquiries, visit the International Silent Film Festival Manila Facebook page at facebook.com/InternationalSilentFilmFestivalManila.