ARTSPLACE will present four evenings of silent cinema, accompanied by original live scores by musician Arthur Bull, from October 28 to 31 in Annapolis Royal.
The “Silent Screams Film Festival” brings together four distinctive films from the 1920s, each exploring horror through visual design, physical performance and experimental filmmaking. All screenings begin at 7 p.m. upstairs at ARTSPLACE Gallery. Admission is $15 per film; a festival pass to all films is $50.
The series opens October 28, with Robert Wiene’s “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” (1920), a landmark of German Expressionist cinema. Its crooked streets, painted shadows and distorted perspectives create an unsettling world shaped by psychological disturbance.
Wiene’s “The Hands of Orlac” (1924), screening October 29, shifts the unease into a more recognizable setting. The story follows a concert pianist who receives the hands of a murderer after an accident, raising questions about identity, bodily autonomy and the relationship between the body and the mind.
October 30, Tod Browning’s “The Unknown” (1927) explores obsession and concealment in a travelling circus. Lon Chaney’s physical performance drives the film, using gesture and posture to examine the boundary between spectacle and private suffering.
The series concludes Halloween night, October 31, with Benjamin Christensen’s “Häxan” (1922). Blending historical commentary, staged scenes, supernatural imagery and elaborate practical effects, the film examines witchcraft, superstition and the persecution of those whose behaviour was misunderstood. Its combination of documentary and fantasy remains strikingly unconventional.
Bull will create live musical scores for all four screenings. A writer, musician and activist based on Digby Neck, Nova Scotia, Bull has been active in Canada’s improvised music scene since the mid-1970s. He has performed with Canadian and international improvisers, released more than 30 CDs and toured internationally. His work spans music, poetry and community advocacy.
Buy tickets online at arcac.ca, or at the door.
ARTSPLACE is a public art gallery operated by the Annapolis Region Community Arts Council, a registered charitable, community organization dedicated to encouraging and promoting the arts; located at 396 St. George Street in Annapolis Royal.
