HippCast

2025 programme picks from the HippFest team

HippCast

Show Notes

It's the annual 'programme picks' episode - a listener favourite! - and with less than one week to go, what better time to have another look over the line-up? Featuring plenty of additional film titbits, predictions, promises, admiration for musicians, and general chatter from the team working away behind-the-scenes to present HippFest's glittering fifteenth edition. Featuring the follow staff members and titles: HANNAH BRADLEY CROALL: Before the Face of the Sea (1926); With Reindeer and Sled in Inka Länta's Winterland (1926); Our Hospitality (1923); The Cave of the Spider Woman (1927). ABBIE DOBSON: The Swallow and the Titmouse (1920); The Pleasure Garden (1925). NATALIE ALLISON: Friday Night Gala - The Pride of the Clan (1917); Neil Brand: Key Notes. NELL CARDOZO: The Shamrock Handicap (1926); What the Water Remembers - The Dark Mirror (2025) and Exhibition at Bo'ness Library; New Found Sound. ALISON STRAUSS: Flora Kerrigan - Rediscover a Film Pioneer; The Near Shore: A Scottish and Irish Cine-Concert; Forgotten Faces (1928).Additional reading/ relevant links: Read a full English transcript of this episode. Learn more about the HippFest team Book tickets to everything upcoming at HippFest 2025 An illustrated overview of the HippFest 2025 programme As mentioned: Alma Reville: in the shadow of Hitchcock? As mentioned: In the Frame of the Father: Films made by Irish Priests

More from HippCast

Oct 20, 2026

A HippFest presence in Pordenone every Autumn is something of a tradition thanks to Le Giornate del Cinema Muto, but this year, with support from the Creative Scotland Expanded Festivals Fund, Digital Content Manager Christina was able to join Festival Director Alison Strauss for the trip. Relishing the buzz in the square surrounding Teatro Verdi, for HippCast Episode 39 we were excited to capture some of the delicious silent film chatter on 'tape'... Or rather, smartphone and tiny bluetooth microphone. Please note that all of these interviews were recorded by grabbing people with only a few minutes to spare, outside in a public place. This means that all the on-site recordings feature varying degrees of background noise. Hopefully that makes the experience immersive as opposed to distracting... We are very grateful to all of our wonderful speakers who were happy to chat! Enjoy the show.

Sep 30, 2026

Hello HippCasters, we're back in the audiosphere this month with a double whammy of musical goodness! In today's show we hear from Jane Gardner and Hazel Morrison, a familiar and much beloved HippFest duo, following their recent visit to Tromsø Silent Film Days and ahead of their performance as part of our Taste of Silents season accompanying Murnau's Faust (1926). Conversation varies merrily from the days of silent film on British TV, to some of the stranger instruments (/body parts?) used in past scores, and of course a wee musical preview of what to expect in October. As always, a full English transcript, and more information about Jane and Hazel, can be found here. Happy listening! Relevant links See all the screenings in our 2026 Taste of Silents season Faust (1926) with music accompaniment from Jane and Hazel Check out Jane Gardner's website here Read the 2023 blog by Alison Strauss Silent Siblings: HippFest Goes to Tromsø Silent Film Days Learn more about Tromsø Silent Film Days Learn more about some of the screenings mentioned (including The Goose Woman - 1925, The Grub Stake - 1923) by reading our Programme Notes

Jul 31, 2026

Our podcast guest this month is none other than the wonderful Kate Saccone! Kate is a film curator, scholar, and editor based in Amsterdam. She received her PhD from the University of Amsterdam in May 2026. She is the project manager and an editor of The Women Film Pioneers Project and currently serves as board president of Women and Film History International. In this month's episode Kate and Christina, our HippFest Digital Content Manager, chat about the breadth of Kate’s expertise, feminist historiographies, and the twin joys and challenges of uncovering and re-learning how we think about early cinema. As Kate states in the show, silent film culture is really thriving, and thus the conversation features a host of excellent recommendations for films, film-makers, organisations, research and other enticing silent era thought-threads. Make sure to check the links below for all the resources mentioned throughout, and as always, a full English transcript of the conversation is available here. Happy listening!

Jun 26, 2026

Filmhouse are turning one! Technically tomorrow (Saturday 27 June 2026), but who's counting? In today's show we hear from Program Manager Raymah Tariq, who reflects on the first year since re-opening in June 2025. The discussion includes a peek behind-the-scenes at programming strategy, Filmhouse first birthday celebrations and the 'We Have A Cinema And We're Not Afraid To Use It' strand, and how silent film/ wider repertory cinema fits into contemporary scheduling. Additional reading/ relevant links:

May 31, 2026

In this month's episode we speak to silent film polymath Ben Model, discussing his recent publication The Silent Film Universe.

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