Bo'ness Hippdrome Silent Film Festival getting 'reel' close

The 10th annual HippFest, as the event has become known, begins on Wednesday, March 22.

Run by Falkirk Community Trust, HippFest has showcased over 220 films since it began in 2011.

This year’s programme is packed with hidden gems from the silent era, world-class live music accompaniment, talks, workshops and tours.

Highlights for 2020 include the festival’s Friday Night Gala screening of The Mark of Zorro starring Douglas Fairbanks Jnr as the masked avenger, live narration from acclaimed screen actor and the man who put the ‘I’ into Withnail and I, Paul McGann, for the festival’s closing film L’Homme du Large (1920), and the Scottish premiere of a live score for City Girl (1930) provided by skiffle and blues band The Dodge Brothers, featuring film critic Mark Kermode.

Festival director Alison Strauss said: “We are thrilled to be celebrating our 10th edition, and so grateful to our audiences for joining us on the journey so far. Expectations are high but we are confident that this year’s HippFest will be our most successful yet.

“It’s not just the gripping stories, like edge-of-the seat war drama Dawn, the long-lost prestige pictures like The Loves of Mary, Queen of Scots, or the restoration premieres like Poil de Carotte, it’s the activities, experiences, workshops and exhibition that brim out of the Hippodrome, bringing silent film fun into the schools, library, shops and streets around the area.”

Visit ww.hippfest.co.uk for full listings and more information on this year’s festival.