Silent cinema transcends borders. There are title cards, sure, but mainly the stories are conveyed through movement and expression, without the need for words. It’s no surprise then that there’s still a global fanbase for films that reached their peak 100 years ago. As Alison Strauss, who runs HippFest, told me over coffee in Bo’ness library, “the silent film community is loyal and willing to travel”.
There are several silent film festivals each year around the world – Toronto in April, San Francisco in May, and Pordenone in October. But for the last 16 years, silent film fans have flocked to a small town in Scotland every March to enjoy five days of slapstick and spectacle. I’d wanted to go for years. Finally, I was at HippFest.
