The Sound of Silents: Short silent Dublin films dating as far back as 1897 reinvigorated with accompaniment from Bottlenote Music at the IFI on April 10th (20.30) & 11th (13.00)
The IFI have teamed up with Bottlenote Music, with the support of Dublin City Council’s MusicTown 2015, to dig deep into the IFI Irish Film Archive to present short silent Dublin films with live improvised scores from five leading contemporary musicians; Eoghan Neff, Seán Mac Erlaine, Shane Latimer, Jack McMahon and Sean Carpio.
The musicians will breathe new life into these old films with a range of soundscapes from traditional to electronic, using woodwind, percussion, turntables, fiddle and electric guitar. The films include Alexander Promio’s pulsating train journey from Westland Row to Dun Laoghaire (1897); Liam Ó Laoghaire’s ethereal Dance School (1943); and the Junior Film Society’s Boy Wanted (1940s).
Sunniva O’Flynn, Head of Irish Film Programming at the IFI, said ‘We are pleased to work with such an accomplished group of musicians: to witness their respect for the integrity of the original work and to share their enthusiasm for infusing these once silent films with a new life. The programme is a tremendously varied one, including fiction and non-fiction, amateur and professional, colour and black and white film – all made in Dublin between 1897 and the 1960s. None of the films are made in studio but out and about on the streets of Dublin and all will be a treat not just for nostalgists but for those fascinated by the evolution of Dublin, its architecture and its inhabitants.’
Tickets for From the Vaults: The Sound of Silents on April 10th (20.30) & 11th (13.00) are available from the IFI on 01 679 3477 or at www.ifi.ie.
