Show Notes
For June's release we caught up with two of our favourite film archivists Kathy Rose O’Regan and Robert Byrne, during a brief pit stop between screenings at Il Cinema Ritrovato, Bologna. Fresh off the back of presenting the new restoration of THE GARDEN OF EDEN (1928), accompanied by HippFest favourites Stephen Horne and Frank Bockius in Il Cinema Ritrovato‘s gorgeous Cinema Modernissmo, Kathy and Robert share some of their early festival favourites, explain the process of film restoration, and introduce the San Francisco Film Preserve. Formerly organised as part of the San Francisco Silent Film Festival, SFFP commenced operation as an independent non-profit on October 1 2024. Their mission is to restore, preserve, and provide access to the world’s cinematic heritage, ensuring that works of cinema remain accessible for future generations. Through education, advocacy, and collaboration, SFFP aim to inspire a deeper appreciation for the art of film while safeguarding its cultural significance for years to come. SFFP also produce a monthly online presentation on early film restoration and discovery – on Friday 18 July Dr. Veronica Johnson will be presenting on her deep and compelling research on the first indigenous Irish film company – named, unsurprisingly, the Film Company of Ireland. Don’t miss this – though if you do we’ve been told it will be on YouTube after the event! More info here. As always, there is a full English transcript of this conversation here. All about the San Francisco Film Preserve. Catch up on previous online presentations from San Francisco Film Preserve via the SFFP YouTube. All about Il Cinema Ritrovato. More info on THE GARDEN OF EDEN (1928) Current projects and other restorations at SFFP.
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.