Weimar celebrates silent films: a boulevard full of emotions and music!

Weimar celebrates silent films: a boulevard full of emotions and music!

The final performance of the VII Weimar Silent Film Retrospective took place on September 5, 2025 under the motto “Against the Bluff!” took place in the Belvedere Palace Music High School. The highlight of this event was the screening of the US silent film “Darn Hospitality” (1923), accompanied by the Thuringia Philharmonic Gera-Eisenach under the direction of Robert Israel. This retrospective attracted over 4,500 visitors over its seven years.

The event, which was originally launched in 2019 in cooperation with the Weimar Art Festival, was planned for a year, but was extended until 2025. The aim was to show films from the year the State Bauhaus Weimar was founded and from the Weimar Republic. Astonishing film material was discovered in the available archives, including 2,094 advertisements from the Allgemeine Thüringische Landeszeitung from 1919 to 1925, which identified a total of 2,742 films - including 757 international productions.

Diverse program and international exchange

Of the 554 surviving films and 27 fragments, a total of 100 films were screened as part of the retrospective. Many of these films had to be re-translated or subtitled, which was made easier through collaborations with international film institutions. This collaboration enabled not only the receipt of film copies, but also a deeper contextualization of the films through introductory lectures, newsreels and panel discussions. Over 30 national and international silent film musicians accompanied the film screenings.

The retrospective took place at various locations in Weimar, including the Lichthaus Kino and the Musikgymnasium. Other program items included historical newsreels, introductions, lectures and film discussions. For example, as part of the program there were several lectures on important topics such as “The Cinema Year 1925” and “The Films & the Musicians”. The multitude of events reflected the diversity and richness of silent film history.

Insights into film history

The series of events could not only be perceived as a nostalgic film presentation. It also presented itself as an important platform for research and cultural memory. Annual mottos such as “Shock of Freedom” (1919) and “Praise to the Play of Light” (1923) reflect the spirit of the times and are indicators of the cultural developments between the First and Second World Wars.

The team behind the retrospective included numerous members from institutions such as the Lichthaus Kino, the Weimar City Archives and the Bauhaus University Weimar. The series of events received financial support from various institutions and foundations, including the Thuringian State Chancellery and the Sparkasse Mittelthüringen. Planned publications are intended to document the results of this comprehensive retrospective and make them accessible for further research.

The response to the retrospective was extremely positive, with over 720 people attending just the closing event, highlighting the interest in this film art form. Future event formats are already being planned, and discussions are ongoing with the new art festival management in order to secure the important role of silent films in the Weimar cultural landscape in the future.

For further information about the event and the program provided by uni-weimar.de as well as from silentfilm-magazin.de are provided, visit the respective pages.