Pianists and presenters for the Kansas Silent Film Festival visited the Kansas Public Radio Live Performance Studio February 23, 2024

Published March 6, 2024 at 4:07 PM CST

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Musicians and orators gathered at the Kansas Public Radio Live Performance Studio on February 23, 2024, to discuss the 27th annual Kansas Silent Film Festival. Pianists Ben Model and Donald Sosin showcased their impromptu accompanist skills, while presenters discussed the festival's films and activities at Washburn University’s White Concert Hall in Topeka, KS. The festival, since 1997, offers free admission, presenting silent films with live music accompaniment, including titles from the National Film Registry and a variety of special screenings. The event attracts audiences of all ages and educates on silent film history and preservation techniques.

Musicians and orators were in the Kansas Public Radio Live Performance Studio on February 23, 2024 to discuss the 27th annual Kansas Silent Film Festival. 2 pianists, Ben Model and Donald Sosin, displayed their sometimes impromtu accompanist's abilities. Presenters Kathrine Pratt and Denise Morrison discussed with KPR's Cordelia Brown, the films and activities the weekend of February 23rd and 24th at White Concert Hall at Washburn University in Topeka KS.

Since 1997, the Kansas Silent Film Festival has brought a curated selection of silent short films and full-length features to audiences in Topeka every year. All showings are accompanied by live organ or piano music, and admission is free to the public.

This year, the 27th Annual Kansas Silent Film Festival will be held Friday and Saturday at Washburn University’s White Concert Hall.

The latest installment of the festival features titles from the National Film Registry, which is a collection of culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant works selected for preservation by the National Film Preservation Board. Audiences can look forward to an introduction to the National Film Registry by media preservationist Katherine Pratt, a series of early short films, a 100th-anniversary screening of “The Navigator” (1924) starring Buster Keaton, a Kansas Silent Film Festival documentary, and much more.

“It annually brings persons from throughout the Midwest as well as from both coasts to Topeka for the two-day event,” said festival founder Jim Rhodes. “Most of the films reflect the times from 1895 through 1930 and appeal to persons from 3 to 93!”

Part of what makes the festival both a popular entertainment event and a valuable cultural resource is the rarity and inaccessibility of many early silent films. The Kansas Silent Film Festival brings the experience of silent film viewing — with musical accompaniment — to modern audiences while also educating them on the history of the films and preservation techniques.

http://www.kssilentfilmfest.org/kssff2024/2024promo.html