Pordenone Silent Film Festival

The world’s leading international silent-film festival.

The goals of the Pordenone Silent Film Festival have always been many: present the widest array of film from the silent era, in all its richness and diversity; re-evaluate classics and uncover hidden treasures; offer a platform for archives to present the essential work they do; and provide a showcase for the world’s most accomplished silent film accompanists.

With thematic retrospectives ranging from Latin America to Uzbekistan, from Sicily to Sweden, and personal retrospectives including set designer Ben Carré and Chinese-American star Anna May Wong, the 43rd edition – from 5 to 12 October – meets all these aims, and much more.

Over 200 titles (features and shorts) from international archives will be shown on the big screen of the Teatro Verdi, while a far greater number of scholars and enthusiasts from all over the world will be attending the festival to enjoy its wide range of offerings, in an evocative fusion of images from the past with the here-and-now of live accompaniment. The titles director Jay Weissberg has chosen to open and close the 2024 edition, all with full orchestral accompaniment, are two Westerns from 1926: John Ford's epic 3 Bad Men and Henry King's spectacular The Winning of Barbara Worth. The latter features a new score specially commissioned by the festival.

Opening day will be preceded by the traditional pre-opening, on 4 October, at the Teatro Zancanaro in Sacile, with the comedy Girl Shy (Le donne... che terrore, US 1924), starring Harold Lloyd, while Henry King's film will have a repeat performance on 13 October at the Verdi.

As in the past few years, a selection of films and events will be available online for those who cannot make it to Pordenone.