Hippfest Silent Film Festival 2026 day one (a look back)

Music often inspires movement, but in silent film, it’s movement that inspires music. The Hippfest Silent Film Festival opened with this poetic turn of phrase from Igor Shaytanov, a Norwegian representative from Tromsø Film Festival who, surprisingly, had never given a speech in English before. The opening ceremonies of Hippfest would be filled with surprises from Norway. 

Hippfest is a silent film festival that occurs yearly, mainly at The Hippodrome, a stunning art deco cinema in Bo’ness. For those who have never seen a silent film outside of your home, the movie tends to be shown while live musicians perform in front of the screen. They add a score to the picture that is sometimes rehearsed, and sometimes improvised.

The musicians build dramatic tension or play big crescendos based on what they know is going to happen in the film. What made Hippfest especially interesting, was how they paired modern genres of music with century-old films.

The ceremonial opening movie, Fante-Anne (1920) was Norway’s first feature-length film. It told the story of an orphan girl’s complicated love life set in Norway’s beautiful rural landscape.

While the titular character Anne had her heart broken and subsequently healed, Dina Konradsen played synth beats accompanied by Jo Einar Jansen’s folky fiddle.

The score blended electronica and folk music with a skillful technique that didn’t make the mixture feel out of place. The heavy bass accentuated scenes laden with drama, and cheerful tunes on the fiddle highlighted moments of frivolity.

When the two played together, long notes from the strings lay atop a vibrating atmosphere of bass, creating a unique harmony one does not normally find in the average gig. This was the sound of Norway reaching back a hundred years to connect their musical present with their cinematic history.

At Hippfest, movement and music weave the past and the present. The silent film festival connects time, culture, and people with inspirational experiences. Attendees will not just sit for an hour in front of a silent screen, they will be treated to virtuoso performances and perhaps even invited to dance – a Norwegian dance instructor taught us all the steps of a folk dance following Hippfest’s opening gala.

Hippfest is truly a rare experience that you won’t find at a normal cinema, or many other film festivals.

These silent films speak volumes.

Find out more about HippFest 2026 – 18th till 22nd March