Show Notes
Episode 7 of the Hippodrome Silent Film Festival Podcast is dedicated to our touring HippFest 2022 Commission Journey to the Isles: Marjory Kennedy-Fraser, which just last week travelled to Brittany to open Le Festival International du Film Insulaire du Groix, and which will travel again for another outing at the University of Glasgow Advanced Research Centre in November!
The full performance offers a mesmerizing glimpse into the landscapes, folktales, and songs that inspired Marjory Kennedy-Fraser, one of Scotland's great early collectors of traditional arts, featuring two of Kennedy-Fraser's own films preserved by the National Library of Scotland Moving Image Archive. Joining audiences on this journey to the isles are acclaimed live performer, multi instrumentalist and one of Scotland's leading storytellers, Marion Kenny with award winning musician, singer and songwriter, Mairi Campbell. Both artists co-created a new score, weaving together words, music and song alongside Kennedy-Fraser's enchanting films.
But for those unable to attend, waiting to watch, or anyone listening in curious to hear more about Marjory Kennedy-Fraser's incredible story, we have adapted a live recording of the show from Eden Court Highlands Cinema in Inverness from October 2022 into this audio-only podcast for your listening pleasure. Researched, developed and performed by Marion Kenny, the story of Marjory Kennedy-Fraser is full of adventurous twists and turns and will paint a vivid picture of what life was like as a song collector in the early 20th century... We hope you enjoy tuning in.
More about HippFest's touring commissions
Book to attend the CinemARC screening (Glasgow) Nov 16th
Marjory Kennedy-Fraser's films at the National Library of Scotland Moving Image Archive
More about Marion Kenny
More about Mairi Campbell
More from HippCast
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.
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
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!
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:
In this month's episode we speak to silent film polymath Ben Model, discussing his recent publication The Silent Film Universe.