Eight silent film concerts, five new compositions, three lectures: From September through December, we’ll be presenting silent films as you’ve never heard them before. The occasion is the 100th anniversary of the building that now houses the Caligari. Built in 1926 as the “Ufa-Palast” with over 1,000 seats, it is one of the few fully preserved movie theater buildings from the silent film era in the Rhine-Main region. Reason enough to celebrate this occasion with a top-notch anniversary series.

Reinterpretation, Participation, Reflection 

In silent film concerts, distinguished contemporary musicians engage with classics from the silent film era, opening up new spaces for experience. In a participatory project, children and teenagers collaborate with a film composer to create a live musical accompaniment for an entertaining program of short films. An accompanying program explores the far-reaching lines of rupture and continuity within the silent film legacy. Through these three pillars—reinterpretation, participation, and reflection—the series brings film history to life in a critical and dynamic way.

A Double Kickoff

The series kicks off with two silent film concerts in September: On September 6 at 7:00 p.m., we’ll screen Paul Czinner’s comedy of mistaken identity *THE VIOLINIST OF FLORENCE* (Germany, 1926). The film will be accompanied by an ensemble piece for four instruments composed by Uwe Dierksen. On September 25 at 7:00 p.m., the program features a film-historical rarity: *NACH DEM GESETZ* (USSR 1926). Pianist Uwe Oberg and drummer Rudi Fischerlehner will bring Lev Kuleshov’s “Western from the East” to life in a new way.

Partners and Sponsors

The series is organized by the Cultural Affairs Office of the State Capital of Wiesbaden in cooperation with the DFF—German Film Institute & Film Museum and the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau Foundation. The series is sponsored by the Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain, Hessen Film & Medien, and SV SparkassenVersicherung.