Retroformat Silent Films

Retroformat Silent Films Retroformat Silent Films' mission is to educate and create enthusiasm about the art of Silent Film.

Retroformat screens historic silent films with live, improvised keyboard accompaniment. Each performance is highlighted by the live creation of a traditional but completely unique, improvised keyboard score by Los Angeles' premier live film accompanist, Cliff Retallick.

This September, expect a program filled with surprises. One of the great joys of programming the Los Angeles Silent Film...
06/01/2026

This September, expect a program filled with surprises. One of the great joys of programming the Los Angeles Silent Film Festival is discovering how many extraordinary films from the silent era still remain unseen by modern audiences.

In recent years, archives around the world have uncovered and restored films once believed lost, forgotten, or inaccessible. That spirit of rediscovery will remain at the heart of our 2026 festival.

Don't miss out! To receive updates and lineup announcements, sign up for our email list at www.losangelessilentfilmfestival.org.

Considered a lost film for many years, a print of Regeneration (1915) was discovered in the 1970s and saved by the Museu...
05/31/2026

Considered a lost film for many years, a print of Regeneration (1915) was discovered in the 1970s and saved by the Museum of Modern Art. In 2000, it was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

“A milestone in the history of the gangster film, and with its mobile camerawork and potent evocation of its grim locations, it’s the spiritual ancestor of Martin Scorsese’s Mean Streets…If you spot a repertory screening, jump at the chance.” - The Guardian, “Why Cinema Came of Age 100 Years Ago,” August 24, 2015.

100+ silent films—ready anytime. Streaming now in the Retroformat Vault (Patreon), with original music by Cliff Retallick. Benefitting the Los Angeles Silent Film Festival. 👉 https://www.patreon.com/c/retroformatsilents

As the Los Angeles Silent Film Festival continues to grow, so does our ambition. For 2026, we are preparing a lineup tha...
05/30/2026

As the Los Angeles Silent Film Festival continues to grow, so does our ambition. For 2026, we are preparing a lineup that reflects both the richness of the silent era and the remarkable restoration work now being done by archives and preservationists worldwide.

Early access matters. Most of our 2025 shows sold out! Visit www.losangelessilentfilmfestival.org and join our mailing list for upcoming announcements, and be one of the first to know when we announce the schedule for this September’s celebration.


Regeneration (1915), directed by Raoul Walsh, is one of the first true gangster films, shot on real New York streets wit...
05/29/2026

Regeneration (1915), directed by Raoul Walsh, is one of the first true gangster films, shot on real New York streets with non-professional actors as extras for extraordinary realism. (Re-released in 1919 as “The Regeneration.”)

With original music by Cliff Retallick.

Watch great films. Support something meaningful. Streaming now in the Retroformat Vault (Patreon). Benefitting the Los Angeles Silent Film Festival. 👉 https://www.patreon.com/c/retroformatsilents

As the Los Angeles Silent Film Festival continues to grow, so does our ambition. For 2026, we are preparing a lineup tha...
05/28/2026

As the Los Angeles Silent Film Festival continues to grow, so does our ambition. For 2026, we are preparing a lineup that reflects both the richness of the silent era and the remarkable restoration work now being done by archives and preservationists worldwide.

Like last year, we expect most of our shows to sell out this September. Visit www.losangelessilentfilmfestival.org and join our mailing list to be one of the first to know when tickets become available .


What did moviemaking look like before Hollywood? Maurice Tourneur’s A Girl’s Folly (1917), written by pioneering screenw...
05/27/2026

What did moviemaking look like before Hollywood?

Maurice Tourneur’s A Girl’s Folly (1917), written by pioneering screenwriter Frances Marion, follows a young woman drawn into the exciting "new world" of motion pictures, giving audiences a remarkably authentic behind-the-scenes look at silent-era filmmaking in Fort Lee, New Jersey — America’s first movie capital.

Streaming now in the Retroformat Vault (Patreon), starting at just $5/month. Benefitting the Los Angeles Silent Film Festival. 👉 https://www.patreon.com/c/retroformatsilents

Some films never truly disappear. They wait patiently in archives, private collections, and forgotten vaults until someo...
05/26/2026

Some films never truly disappear. They wait patiently in archives, private collections, and forgotten vaults until someone is finally able to bring them back before an audience.

That spirit of rediscovery has been part of Retroformat Silent Films from the very beginning, and it continues today through the Los Angeles Silent Film Festival. This September, expect a program filled with landmark classics, overlooked masterpieces, and cinematic surprises.

Sign up for our email list at www.losangelessilentfilmfestival.org to receive announcements as they are released.


Before Hollywood, the American film industry thrived in Fort Lee, New Jersey. Maurice Tourneur’s A Girl’s Folly (1917) o...
05/25/2026

Before Hollywood, the American film industry thrived in Fort Lee, New Jersey. Maurice Tourneur’s A Girl’s Folly (1917) offers a fascinating glimpse inside that lost world.

Written by the brilliant Frances Marion, this visually sophisticated drama, part romance, part backstage comedy, and part historical time capsule, takes you behind the scenes of silent-era filmmaking, revealing studio sets, screen tests, directing techniques, and the dream of movie stardom itself in one of cinema’s earliest films about filmmaking.

100+ silent films—ready anytime. Streaming now in the Retroformat Vault (Patreon). Benefitting the Los Angeles Silent Film Festival. 👉 https://www.patreon.com/c/retroformatsilents

There is nothing quite like seeing silent cinema with a live audience. Films made a century ago suddenly feel immediate ...
05/24/2026

There is nothing quite like seeing silent cinema with a live audience. Films made a century ago suddenly feel immediate and alive again. The laughter arrives all at once. The suspense becomes electric.

That experience is what drives the Los Angeles Silent Film Festival. This September, we will return with another program of celebrated classics, rare discoveries, and newly restored works from around the world.

Join our email list at www.losangelessilentfilmfestival.org to be among the first to know what we have planned.


If you've ever wondered what went on behind the scenes in Fort Lee, New Jersey when a silent film was being made, Mauric...
05/23/2026

If you've ever wondered what went on behind the scenes in Fort Lee, New Jersey when a silent film was being made, Maurice Tourneur's captivating 1917 film, A Girl's Folly, written by one of the most important screenwriters of the silent era, Frances Marion, offers a mesmerizing peek behind the curtain, inviting viewers to explore the magic of moviemaking through the eyes of its characters.

Streaming now in the Retroformat Vault (Patreon). Benefitting the Los Angeles Silent Film Festival. 👉 https://www.patreon.com/c/retroformatsilents

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