Reel Silent Film Screenings

This page is a listing of silent film screenings offering 35mm prints, or occasionally 16mm prints, across Britain: that is England, Scotland and Wales: and also some Film Festivals abroad. This is to help people who suffer the same frustrations of myself; rarely seeing early films in their original format and as intended. If you know of such screenings please send details to; keith1942@mail.com

Saturday June 25th at 7.30 p.m.

Il Cinema Ritrovato, Bologna, Italy.

Coincidentally June 25th is the opening day of this fine week-long archive festival, a definite treat for those able to travel. The Festival offers a wide variety of films and titles from both the silent and sound eras. There are several cinemas,  a programme of over 300 titles, and usually a fair number of films presented in 35mm prints. The silent titles nearly always have musical accompaniment. There is even a screening using a traditional carbon arc projector.

There are sessions which offer presentations and discussion on titles screened at the Festival. Many of these can be foun d on YouTube under Il Cinema Ritrovato.

From June 25th until July 3rd.

Phil-for-Short, USA 1919.

Director Oscar Apfel with Evelyn Greeley, Hugh Thompson, Charles Walcott, 81min. Oscar Apfel’s Phil-for-Short was described in the 2021 Pordenone festival catalogue as ‘a rollicking burlesque about an improbable romance between a cross-dressing spitfire and an avowed “woman-hater,” who are both Greek professors at a co-ed college in New Jersey’. Our cheeky heroine’s name, Damophilia (hence Phil for short – ‘better than Damn’), is from a poem by Sappho, who is the muse for this gender-bending farce scripted by Clara Beranger. 35mm print courtesy of The Library of Congress, with live piano accompaniment.

National Film Theatre 1 on Sunday 17th July at 1.10 p.m.