THE 9TH INTERNATIONAL Silent Film Festival in Manila will showcase films from nine countries, through the efforts of the Goethe-Institut, Instituto Cervantes, Japan Foundation Manila, Philippine-Italian Association, Film Development Council of the Philippines, and the Embassies of Austria, France, Thailand and the United States.
The fest opens on Thursday, Aug. 27, and will run until Aug. 30 at Shang Cineplex, Shangri-La Plaza, Mandaluyong City.
Dubbed as the only one of its kind in Asia, the Silent Film Fest will open with Austria’s “Orlacs Hande (The Hands of Orlac),” a 1924 silent horror film based on the fantasy novel of French writer Maurice Renard. Directed by Robert Wiene, the film tells the story of a world-famous pianist, Paul Orlac, who receives a double-hand transplant and later finds out that his new hands belonged to a criminal.
The “Orlacs Hande” screening on Thursday night will feature live scoring by The Executives, the Philippines’ oldest big band jazz band founded by the late Sen. Raul Manglapus in 1957.
Cocktails start at 6 p.m. and the screening begins at 8 p.m.
On Friday, the festival will feature the Philippines’ “Brides of Sulu” with live music from Kjwan.
Also Friday, the screening of Japan’s series of short silent comedy films, “Kokushi Muso (Peerless Patriot),” “Wasei Kenka Tomodachi (Fighting Friends Japanese Style),” “Tokkan Kozo (A Straightforward Boy),” and “Ishikawa Goemon no Hoji (A Buddhist Mass for Goemon Ishikawa),” will be accompanied by Hidden Nikki.
A new member of the festival, Thailand, will screen its silent film “The Overture” on Aug. 29, accompanied by the Royal Thai Navy Traditional Ensemble.
Germany’s “Berlin, die Sinfonie der Großstadt (Berlin, Symphony of a Great City)” follows the Thai film and will be accompanied by Pierre Oser and the Big Jazz Balloon. Also on Aug. 20, Spain’s “Don Juan Tenorio” will be shown with a musical performance from The Dingdong Fiel Trio.
Capping the Silent Film Festival on Aug. 30 are France’s “Paris Qui Dort (The Crazy Ray),” accompanied by Ian Lofamia Blues Band, Italy’s “Gli ultimi giorni di Pompei (The Last Days of Pompeii)” with musical accompaniment from The Dawn, and the US’ “Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans,” with musical performance from Razorback.