The Kenworthy Silent Film Festival is back for its second year, kicking off on Sept. 4 with a month-long celebration of 1920s cinema paired with fresh music from regional composers. Hosted at the Kenworthy Performing Arts Centre, the festival will feature a different film each week, accompanied by unique musical scores performed live by musicians from Washington State University and the University of Idaho. Screenings begin at 7 p.m. and tickets range from $10 to $20, with discounts available for students.
The festival opens on Wednesday, Sept. 4 with “Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans,” a 1927 classic with a new classical score by composer Isabella Morrill and performed by the Washington Idaho Symphony, conducted by Dr. Danh Pham, artistic director and conductor from WSU.
The series continues Sept. 11 with a screening of “The Unknown” (1927), featuring a hot club jazz score by UI Composition Professor Max Wolpert and musicians from the Lionel Hampton School of Music.
On Sept. 19, attendees can experience “A Page of Madness” (1926), a Japanese psychological drama directed by Teinosuke Kinugasa. This screening will include a new score for cello and sound collage by UI’s Dylan Champagne and will feature live narration by renowned Benshi artist Ichiro Kataoka, who joins the festival from Tokyo on a U.S. tour.
The festival concludes on Sept. 25 with Harold Lloyd’s iconic comedy “Safety Last!” (1923), showcasing a new percussion score by Lionel Hampton School of Music alumnus Liam Marchant.
The Kenworthy Silent Film Festival is supported by the Idaho Arts Commission, Idaho Humanities Council, UI Habib Institute for Asian Studies and The Japan Foundation.
For tickets and more information, visit the here.
Presley Zimmerman can be reached at [email protected]