BACKFestival
April 2, 2025
Sound of Silent Film Festival – Chicago
ACM’s popular Sound of Silent Film Festival, now in its 20th year, is a unique event featuring new short silent films in every conceivable genre screened with newly-composed musical scores performed live.
This year’s festival will take place on Wednesday, April 2nd at 7:30 PM. We’ll post the program on January 27th.
Don’t miss this unique one-night-only event!
Hours
Wednesday, April 2nd
7:30 PM
Location
Music Box Theater
3733 N. Southport Ave.
$25 general, $15 student with ID
Program
Total runtime: approximately 90 minutes.
Tomato by Todd Sullivan
A chance encounter in an elevator changes a businessman’s life forever
Music by Dan Cooper
Of Wood by Owen Klatte
“Of Wood” is a unique experimental stop motion film created by progressively carving images in a large round of wood, enhanced with wooden objects coming out of the wood. It examines the role of wood in daily life through the ages and comments on the impact of consumerism on our lives.
Music by Will Rowe
The Mime and the Black Butterfly by Jose Luis Saturno
Marcelo finds himself at the doors of the underworld, where he will attempt to teach death how to laugh in exchange for a second chance at life.
Music by Seth Boustead
In Una Goccia by Valeria Weerasinghe
Split between two cultures, a young girl falls into an imaginary jungle to escape her daily life. Guided by a drop, she finds herself in front of her roots and realises her heritage will forever be an important part of her identity.
Music by Amy Wurtz
Out of the Peat by Tabitha Carless-Frost and Theo Rollason
An amateur archaeologist arrives on a desolate peatland in Lancashire, their mind filled with the strange power that peat-bog waters hold to preserve organic matter. But, in digging into the peat — and into the past — they unearth much more than mere relics.
Music by Carl LaMark
A by Katherine Allen
An unexpected attack during a lobster dinner leaves Audrey and Alistair’s relationship forever changed.
Music by David Keller
War Worms by Vippin PV
Two woodcutters with golden eyes find a glowing ball inside a tree, setting off a perilous journey filled with greed, betrayal, and violence. This exposes the human darkness, as well as their connection to the nature.
Music by Alon Nechushtan
Still Life by Fran Lopez
An abandoned house comes to life and turns into a landscape inspired by dreams and nightmares.
Music by Lila Mora
Ephemera by Aram Riazi
A ghost steals a young girl’s radio leading her into realizing that the ghost is her former lover.
Music by Lynn Bechtold
Hand Job by Davis Cameron Chu and Meezahn Senbetta
After an attempted suicide, a sentient hand must save its body from certain death.
Music by Gene Pritsker
sponsors
Meet Our sponsors
The Sound of Silent Film Festival is sponsored in part by:
Sound of Silent Film Festival 2024 Chicago
ACM’s popular Sound of Silent Film Festival, now in its 19th year, is a unique event featuring new short silent films in every conceivable genre screened with newly-composed musical scores performed live.
Sound of Silent Film Festival 2024 NYC
ACM’s popular Sound of Silent Film Festival, now in its 19th year, is a unique event featuring new short silent films in every conceivable genre screened with newly-composed musical scores performed live. The festival hits NYC on May 31st!
May 20, 2023
Sound of Silent Film Festival – NYC 2023
ACM’s popular Sound of Silent Film Festival returns to New York City for one exciting show at Symphony Space in Manhattan. Don’t miss it!
April 26, 2023
Sound of Silent Film Festival 2023
ACM’s popular Sound of Silent Film Festival, now in its 18th year, is a unique event featuring new short silent films in every conceivable genre screened with newly-composed musical scores performed live.
April 16 & 23, 2022
Sound of Silent Film Festival 2022
ACM’s popular Sound of Silent Film Festival, now in its 17th year, is a unique event featuring new short silent films in every conceivable genre screened with newly-composed musical scores performed live.
Sound of Silent Film Festival 2021
ACM’s popular Sound of Silent Film Festival is a unique event featuring new short silent films in every conceivable genre screened with newly-composed musical scores performed live. Our 16th annual festival features two exciting all-new programs presented outdoors at the VIN312 parking lot and, the following weekend, virtually.
We source the films through a global call, commission the composers and our wonderful musicians bring it all to life.
April 30 and May 1, 2021 7:00 PM
VIN312 Parking Lot
$20
PERFORMED BY
Chris Ramaekers – Music Director
David Wetzel – Technical Director
Alyson Berger – cello
Christie Miller – clarinet
Marianne Parker – piano
Brent Roman – percussion
Trevor Patricia Watkin – flute
Amy Wurtz – piano
Henry Zheng – violin
Sound of Silent Film Festival 2020
ACM’s popular Sound of Silent Film Festival turns 15 this year! We’re celebrating the anniversary with two ambitious virtual programs featuring fourteen short modern silent films with newly commissioned musical scores performed live.
This year’s selections include three dramatic thrillers, two comedies, one dark comedy, one very dark comedy, an offbeat romance, two compelling dramas, one that kind of pulls at your heart strings, a compelling look at modern Hong Kong, two gorgeously animated films and a dance film.
There are two completely different programs and they will be live streamed
This is a free presentation but we’re asking for a $20 suggested donation per household. If you like what you see and hear please consider donating.
PERFORMED BY
Chris Ramaekers – Music Director
David Wetzel – Technical Director
Alyson Berger – cello
Christie Miller – clarinet
Marianne Parker – piano
Brent Roman – percussion
Trevor Patricia Watkin – flute
Amy Wurtz – piano
Henry Zheng – violin
Sound of Silent Film Festival 2019
ACM’s popular Sound of Silent Film Festival, now in its fourteenth year, returns to the lovingly restored Davis Theater with two all-new programs.
Featuring newly composed scores performed live to modern silent films from around the world, this one night only event is a don’t miss.
The 7:00 main show features films that have been meticulously scored and rehearsed with the music conducted live to the films.
The 9:30 “late night” show is a more experimental format with improvisation and composers performing their own music.
Sound of Silent Film Festival 2018
ACM’s popular Sound of Silent Film Festival moves to the lovingly restored Davis Theater with an all-new program and, for the first time, a special late night “viewer discretion advised” program.
Featuring newly composed scores performed live to modern silent films from around the world, this one night only event is a don’t-miss!
Sound of Silent Film Festival 2017
Our twelfth annual Sound of Silent Film Festival returns to the gorgeous Music Box Theater with an all-new program!
Featuring newly composed scores performed live to modern silent films from around the world, this one night only event is a don’t miss.
“Of all the art forms, music takes the shortest route to the heart, and this is especially true of live music,” says acclaimed Canadian filmmaker, and SOSF 2011 alumnus Guy Maddin. “Something truly alchemical happens when film gets a live score.”
DETAILS
Saturday, April 22 2017 7:30 PM
Music Box Theater
3733 N. Southport Ave.
$20 door, $15 online, $8 students and seniors (with ID)
Student/senior tickets (must show ID at the door)
Sound of Silent Film Festival 2016
ACM’s popular Sound of Silent Film Festival celebrates its eleventh year with a move to the gorgeous Music Box Theater for an all-new program!
Featuring newly composed scores performed live to modern silent films from around the world, this one night only event is a don’t miss.
“Of all the art forms, music takes the shortest route to the heart, and this is especially true of live music,” says acclaimed Canadian filmmaker, and SOSF 2011 alumnus Guy Maddin. “Something truly alchemical happens when film gets a live score.”
DETAILS
Saturday, April 16 2016 7:30 PM
Music Box Theater
3733 N. Southport Ave.
$20
Sound of Silent Film Festival 2015
We’re going to the big time! ACM’s popular Sound of Silent Film Festival is moving to Chicago’s premiere art house cinema venue, the Music Box. Sound of Silent Film features newly composed scores we commission performed live to modern silent films.
We source the films through an international call, strip whatever sounds might be on them (with the director’s approval of course) and then commission composers to write a new score which our wonderful musicians then perform live while you enjoy popcorn and a beer, or the beverage of your choice.
One night only!
Sound of Silent Film Festival 2014
The Sound of Silent Film Festival is the only festival in the country featuring newly composed scores performed live to modern silent films.
That’s right, silent films by living directors! We commission new music for them and perform it live to the films.
Sound of Silent Film Festival 2013
This year’s Sound of Silent Film Festival is a very special event featuring one feature length film scored by four composers. The film is Hiroshi Teshigahara’s masterpiece Gaudí about the legendary Barcelona architect. Don’t miss this special performance!
Sound of Silent Film Festival 2012
This year’s Sound of Silent Film Festival features a new score to the classic Chris Marker film La Jetée by Seth Boustead! We’ll also screen The Waiting Room by Jos Stelling with a new score by John Elmquist.
Sound of Silent Film Festival 2011
This year’s Sound of Silent Film Festival features new scores performed live to Martin Scorsese’s classic silent film The Big Shave and Osama Tezuka’s animated film The Mermaid.
Films by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, Brian Kallies, Chris Mancini, Manoel de Oliveira and Gus van Sant round out the program.
All films will be screened in silence with a new score performed live.
Sound of Silent Film Festival 2010
The Sound of Silent Film Festival, now in its fifth year, features new scores performed live to modern silent films from around the world. We commission new scores and play them live to the films in a theater with a bar.