Thailand's Silent Film Festival Returns for Ninth Edition with Dutch Orchestra
The Sprockets ensemble will perform live accompaniment to classic cinema at the free three-day event in Bangkok
- The ninth edition of Thailand's Silent Film Festival will take place in September at the Thai Film Archive, offering free admission.
- A central feature of the festival is the live musical accompaniment by "The Sprockets," a seven-member Dutch orchestra led by pianist Maud Nelissen.
- This marks the first performance outside of Europe for The Sprockets, who are inspired by the small orchestras that traditionally accompanied silent films.
- The festival's program includes a diverse range of international silent films, such as Dutch shorts, Laurel and Hardy comedies, a restored Chinese classic, and an early Technicolor feature.
Thailand's premier celebration of early cinema returns this September as the ninth Silent Film Festival kicks off at the Thai Film Archive, offering free admission to all screenings across three days of carefully curated silent classics.
The festival's standout attraction this year is The Sprockets, a Dutch ensemble led by Netherlands pianist Maud Nelissen, who has previously appeared at Thailand's silent film festival as a solo performer.
This time, she arrives with six accomplished musicians for performances inspired by the traditional small orchestras that once accompanied silent films in prestigious cinemas of the era.
The Sprockets have already captivated audiences at leading European film festivals, and their appearance in Thailand marks their first performance outside Europe.
The seven-member ensemble will perform together for two complete programmes, whilst the remaining five screenings will feature various combinations of band members in rotating performances.
This year's festival presents seven exceptional programmes representing the diversity of early cinema.
The Eye Filmmuseum programme opens proceedings with a collection of seven short and medium-length films, including the poetic Dutch short "De molens die juichen en weenen" (1912), which captures windmills in everyday Dutch life.
The programme also features five films from "The Fantastic Flowers" collection—early colour films requiring individual hand-painting of each frame—and concludes with "La souriante Madame Beudet" (1923), the French silent film directed by Germaine Dulac, considered amongst the world's first feminist films.
Comedy enthusiasts can enjoy a Laurel and Hardy programme featuring three short films showcasing the duo known to Thai audiences as "the fat and thin comedians." The selection includes "You're Darn Tootin'" (1928), "Big Business" (1929), and "Liberty" (1929).
International cinema features prominently with "The Goddess" (1934), a celebrated Chinese silent film recently restored by the China Film Archive and starring Ruan Lingyu, one of China's most famous actresses from the silent era.
The programme also includes "Waxworks" (1924), Paul Leni's German expressionist horror film, and "The Black Pirate" (1926), a Douglas Fairbanks adventure notable for being one of the first feature-length films to use two-colour Technicolor.
The festival concludes with "The Fall of the House of Usher" (1928), Jean Epstein's atmospheric French adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's famous horror story.
All screenings take place from 5-7 September 2025 at the Sala Cinema, Thai Film Archive, with free admission throughout. Advance booking is available for all programmes.
The Sprockets ensemble comprises:
- Daphne Balvers: soprano saxophone
- Frido ter Beek: alto/baritone/tenor saxophone, composer and arranger
- Peter Keijsers: trombone and tuba
- Marco Ludemann: mandolin, banjo, and guitar
- Jasper Somsen: double bass
- Rombout Stoffers: percussion, effects, and accordion
- Maud Nelissen: piano, composer and arranger
