Interview

For more than thirty years, Timothy Brock has made a name for himself as one of the few composer-conductors who specialize in music for silent film. Vogue magazine has called him “the silent-film music guru.” In large part, Brock’s musical life has focused on his own compositions as well as on … [Read more...] about Keeping Time with Timothy Brock

Rodney Sauer and the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra Rummaging through a collection of musical scores at the University of Colorado for his ballroom  dance band, Rodney Sauer came across some silent-era music cues donated by the widow of music director Al Layton. Leader at the time of the Mont … [Read more...] about It Just Has a Sound

Founders Melissa Chittick and Stephen Salmons Look Back at the Early Days of the San Francisco Silent Film Festival It takes more than a passion for silent film to put on a festival. Melissa Chittick had a film degree from UC-Santa Barbara, and Stephen Salmons had been making Super-8 silent films … [Read more...] about Faces in the Dark

This interview was published in conjunction with the screening of Body and Soul at SFSFF 2017 As DJ Spooky (That Subliminal Kid), Paul D. Miller has been a trailblazer in the realms of hip hop and trip hop and a master of the remix. He’s also a philosopher, teacher, historian, science fiction … [Read more...] about DJ Spooky Mixes It Up for Body and Soul

This interview was published in conjunction with the screening of the restoration of The Cameraman at SFSFF 2019. The Cineteca was the recipient of the 2019 SFSFF Award. Summer nights in Bologna provide wonderful opportunities to watch the Bolognese enjoy their passeggiata or join them in this … [Read more...] about Cinema Rediscovered, Italian Style

By any estimation, Donald Sosin has a pretty terrific job. “It beats selling vacuum cleaners,” he joyfully admits. As one of the most accomplished, in-demand, and highly respected composers and performers of silent film scores, his fingers have danced over the piano’s 88 keys in ideal accompaniment … [Read more...] about Chopin in the Dark: An Interview with Donald Sosin

This interview was published in conjunction with the screening of The Last Laugh at SFSFF 2015 Professor Sheldon Mirowitz “conducts” the Berklee Silent Film Orchestra Whose palms wouldn’t begin sweating at the thought of a final exam performed in front of a packed house at the Castro Theatre? But … [Read more...] about Back to School: Sheldon Mirowitz