PSSST! Festival nijemog filma/PSSST! Silent Film Festival

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PSSST! Festival nijemog filma/PSSST! Silent Film Festival

🎬 PSSST! is a unique film festival presenting the art of silent film in a new and entertaining way. PSSST! Osim natjecateljskog dijela, PSSST!

je međunarodni festival posvećen umjetnosti nijemog filma. Održava se u Zagrebu, u Centru za kulturu Trešnjevka i od samih početaka njeguje ideju da film može govoriti i bez riječi. Festival prikazuje klasične dragulje nijemog filma iz prve polovice 20. stoljeća, ali i suvremena ostvarenja koja počivaju na univerzalnom jeziku slike i pokreta. U natjecateljskom programu prikazuju se filmovi koji mo

gu funkcionirati i bez zvuka, dok se projekcijama daje poseban ugođaj uz živu glazbenu pratnju, od klasičnog klavira do jazza i eksperimentalne elektronike. Upravo spoj nijeme slike i glazbe uživo čini svako festivalsko izdanje jedinstvenim doživljajem. Najboljem filmu dodjeljuje se nagrada "Veliki Brcko", nazvana po glavnom liku iz prvog hrvatskog igranog filma "Brcko u Zagrebu (1917.)". Time festival odaje počast domaćoj filmskoj baštini i povezuje je sa suvremenim stvaralaštvom. redovito nudi projekcije klasičnih nijemih filmova, posebne retrospektive, razgovore s autorima, stručna predavanja i edukativne radionice. Publika tako ima priliku otkrivati filmsku povijest, ali i nove, inovativne pristupe vizualnom pripovijedanju. Ako volite filmove koji pričaju pričom slike, pokreta i emocije, bez izgovorene riječi, PSSST! je pravo mjesto da ih doživite u najboljem svjetlu. Festival okuplja filmaše, glazbenike i publiku u zajedničkom slavlju sedme umjetnosti i pokazuje da nijemi film nikada ne prestaje biti relevantan. Više informacija: https://festivalnijemogfilma.com/hr/

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PSSST! is an international festival dedicated to the art of silent film. It takes place in Zagreb at the Trešnjevka Cultural Center and, since its very beginning, has embraced the idea that cinema can speak without words. The festival showcases classical gems of silent cinema from the first half of the 20th century, as well as contemporary works that rely on the universal language of image and movement. In its competition program, the festival presents films that can function without sound, while screenings are given a special atmosphere through live musical accompaniment, ranging from classical piano to jazz and experimental electronics. This unique blend of silent image and live music makes each edition of the festival an unforgettable experience. The award for Best Film is the Veliki Brcko Prize, named after the main character of the first Croatian feature film Brcko in Zagreb (1917). In this way, the festival pays tribute to national film heritage while connecting it to contemporary creativity. Beyond the competition, PSSST! regularly offers screenings of classic silent films, special retrospectives, talks with filmmakers, expert lectures, and educational workshops. This gives audiences the opportunity to rediscover film history while exploring new and innovative approaches to visual storytelling. For those who love films that speak through images, movement, and emotion, without a spoken word, PSSST! is the place to experience them at their finest. The festival brings together filmmakers, musicians, and audiences in a shared celebration of cinema and demonstrates that silent film never ceases to be relevant. More information: https://festivalnijemogfilma.com/en/

10/11/2025

🎬✨ A quick look back — here’s how the final day of the 19th PSSST! Silent Film Festival looked!

This year, Trešnjevka once again breathed in the rhythm of silent images and live sound, from Spanish classics by Segundo de Chomón and Buñuel to the modern Snow White and the festival’s magical finale with award-winning films and live music.

The audience applauded three days of film, music, and emotions without words, but full of feeling.

Thank you to everyone who watched, listened, and shared this unique cinematic silence with us. 🎞️❤️

08/11/2025

🎬 The 19th PSSST! Silent Film Festival has come to a close! ✨

Three days of silent film, over fifty titles from around the world, live music, and a packed hall – Trešnjevka once again came alive to the rhythm of silent images and vibrant sound. 🎞️🎶

This year’s PSSST! Silent Film Festival offered a rich and diverse program: from the competition section and Croatian silent film heritage to retrospectives of Spanish silent cinema and contemporary interpretations of silent poetics.

🎥 The competition program featured 20 short films from eleven countries – Croatia, Spain, France, Italy, Iran, Brazil, Poland, Kazakhstan, Russia, North Macedonia, and Argentina.
The screenings were accompanied by live performances from musicians Vitomir Ivanjek, the trio Sunrise Sessions (Pavle Jovanović, Ivar Roban Križić, Ivan Kapec), the band LHD, and Lela and Joe Kaplowitz. 🎵

🎬 A special highlight of the festival was the program Croatian Silent Film Heritage – Films About Alcoholism, featuring classics The Rescue of Little Zorica (1929), The Magicians (1928), and The Tavern (1929), reminding audiences of the pioneering days of Croatian cinema.

The thematic focus of this year’s festival was Spanish silent cinema 🇪🇸 — from the early works of Fructuós Gelabert and Florián Rey, through Buñuel’s masterpieces Un Chien Andalou and Land Without Bread (with live narration by Dražen Kühn), to Catalan amateur films from the 1930s and a retrospective of the master Segundo de Chomón.

The festival concluded with the announcement of the winners and a screening of the contemporary silent film Blancanieves by Pablo Berger, a poetic and visually stunning homage to silent-era aesthetics.

🏆 The Veliki Brcko Award for Best Film in the competition program was awarded to:
🎞️ DVOJE U DVOJCI, Nela Gluhak, 2025, Croatia, 4′ 🇭🇷

🎬 The Audience Award went to:
🎞️ THE GHOST WITH THE KEY (Il Fantasma delle chiavi), Edo Tagliavini, 2025, Italy, 15′ 🇮🇹

The jury , Dr. Juraj Kukoč, Iva Rosandić, and Dr. Tomislav Šakić, praised Dvoje u dvojci with the following statement:

“This miniature film develops its weakened narrative line through the aesthetics of impure visuality, achieved by an observational (seemingly hidden) camera and the widely recognizable motif of the tracking shot, which in the local context acquires an almost sentimental patina. Another layer unfolds through the constant reshaping of the sonic environment, in the manner of silent film soundscapes that change depending on the context of screening, audience, and connotations arising from their intended encounter.”

👏 Congratulations to all the winners, and heartfelt thanks to all filmmakers, musicians, visitors, and partners who contributed to the success of this year’s edition! ❤️

See you next year — at the 20th anniversary edition of the PSSST! Silent Film Festival, which will be dedicated to French silent cinema! 🇫🇷🎥✨

The festival was held with the support of the City Office for Culture and Civil Society of the City of Zagreb, the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, and the Embassy of Spain in Croatia, in partnership with the Croatian Film Archive, the Croatian State Archives, the Spanish Film Archive, and the Catalan Film Archive.

Special thanks to the Embajada de España en Croacia, Delegation of the Government of Catalonia to Southeastern Europe, Cine ICAA and Filmoteca de Catalunya✨

08/11/2025

🎬 Sinoć smo uronili u fascinantni svijet Luisa Buñuela, od nadrealnog "Andaluzijskog psa" do potresne "Zemlje bez kruha".

U "Zemlji bez kruha" Buñuel i snimatelj Eli Lotar bilježe stvarnost siromašne regije Las Hurdes u Španjolskoj, stvarajući film koji istovremeno prokazuje i nadilazi dokumentarističku formu. Ova surova i iskrena slika ljudske svakodnevice, uz naraciju Dražena Kühna i glazbenu pratnju Sunrise Sessionsa (Pavle Jovanović, Ivar Roban Križić, Ivan Kapec), pretvorila se sinoć u jedan od najdojmljivijih trenutaka festivala.

🎞️ Buñuelova "Zemlja bez kruha" ostaje podsjetnik da film nije samo ogledalo stvarnosti, nego i alat za njeno preispitivanje.

Zahvaljujemo: Embajada de España en Croacia, Delegation of the Government of Catalonia to Southeastern Europe, Cine ICAA i Filmoteca de Catalunya

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🎬 Last night we immersed ourselves in the fascinating world of Luis Buñuel, from the surreal Un Chien Andalou to the haunting Land Without Bread.

In Land Without Bread, Buñuel and cinematographer Eli Lotar capture the stark reality of the impoverished Las Hurdes region in Spain, creating a film that both exposes and transcends the boundaries of documentary form. This raw and unflinching portrayal of human existence — accompanied by Dražen Kühn’s narration and live music by Sunrise Sessions (Pavle Jovanović, Ivar Roban Križić, Ivan Kapec) — became one of the most powerful moments of the festival.

🎞️ Buñuel’s Land Without Bread remains a timeless reminder that film is not merely a mirror of reality, but a tool for questioning and reimagining it.

Special thanks to: Embajada de España en Croacia, Delegation of the Government of Catalonia to Southeastern Europe, Cine ICAA, and Filmoteca de Catalunya

08/11/2025

🎬 Last night, the 19th PSSST! Silent Film Festival brought true cinematic and musical magic to Trešnjevka!

The audience enjoyed a rich program — from Spanish classics by Fructuós Gelabert and Florián Rey to the second part of the Competition Program, featuring films from Brazil, Iran, Kazakhstan, Spain, and Croatia.

The evening culminated with screenings of Buñuel’s masterpieces Un Chien Andalou and Land Without Bread, accompanied by an impressive live performance by Sunrise Sessions (Pavle Jovanović, Ivar Roban Križić, and Ivan Kapec) and narration by Dražen Kühn.

A heartfelt thank-you to all filmmakers, musicians, partners, and friends of the festival who have been nurturing the spirit of silent cinema and live music for 19 years.

🎞️ See you tonight in the Main Hall of the Trešnjevka Cultural Center for the festival’s closing night!
Tonight’s program includes:
🕔 17:00 — Catalan Amateur Films
🕖 19:00 — Segundo de Chomón: Short Films
🕣 20:30 — Award Ceremony and Screening of Winning Films
🕘 21:00 — Contemporary Spanish Silent Film “Blancanieves” by Pablo Berger

📍 Trešnjevka Cultural Center
🎟️ Free admission!
👉 https://festivalnijemogfilma.com/

Special thanks to: Embajada de España en Croacia, Delegation of the Government of Catalonia to Southeastern Europe, Cine ICAA and Filmoteca de Catalunya

07/11/2025

🎬✨ PSSST! Silent Film Festival – Evenings of Spanish Cinematic Magic in Trešnjevka!
📅 Friday and Saturday, November 7 & 8, 2025
📍 Grand Hall, Trešnjevka Cultural Center
🎟️ Free admission!

These days, Zagreb’s Trešnjevka transforms into a cinematic time machine — the lights dim, and the screen comes alive with scenes of Spanish film enchantment. 🇪🇸

From the earliest pioneers of silent cinema to modern masters, the 19th PSSST! Silent Film Festival celebrates illusion, emotion, and the power of the moving image — with live music turning every frame into an experience. 🎶

🎥 FRIDAY, November 7
🎶 Sunrise Sessions (Pavle Jovanović, Ivar Roban Križić, Ivan Kapec)

🕔 17:00 – Spanish Silent Film
From the first cinematic experiments of Fructuós Gelabert to the famous melodrama The Cursed Village – stories of love, conflict, and the passage of time.

🕖 19:00 – Competition Program II
Ten films, ten silent worlds – from Brazil and Iran to Croatia and Spain.
Who will win Veliki Brcko Award and the Audience Choice Award? 🏆

🕣 20:30 – Luis Buñuel: Un Chien Andalou & Land Without Bread
🎭 Surrealist poetry in motion – Buñuel and Dalí blur the line between dream and reality, with live narration by Dražen Kühn.

🎬 SATURDAY, November 8
🎶 Lela and Joe Kaplowitz

🕔 17:00 – Catalan Amateur Films
Forgotten works from the 1930s – poetic, experimental, and full of the spirit of the times.

🕖 19:00 – SEGUNDO DE CHOMÓN: Short Films
A master of tricks, illusions, and color – the Spanish Méliès who turned cinema into pure imagination. 🎩

🏆 20:30 – Award Ceremony
Discover who takes home this year’s Veliki Brcko and which film won the audience’s heart.

🎞️ 21:00 – Contemporary Spanish Silent Film: BLANCANIEVES
A fairy tale set in the bullfighting arena – a magical reimagining of Snow White by Pablo Berger.

🌙 For 19 years, the PSSST! Silent Film Festival has been proving that silence can speak the loudest.

We would like to thank Embajada de España en Croacia, Delegation of the Government of Catalonia to Southeastern Europe, Cine ICAA and Filmoteca de Catalunya

07/11/2025

🎬 How “The Tavern” (1929) Sounded Last Night with LHD!

We’re sharing a short video capturing the atmosphere from the first night of the 19th PSSST! Silent Film Festival — the moment when the old Slavonian drama “The Tavern” by Joza Ivakić came to life with the energy and rhythm of LHD, a surf rock instrumental trio from Sisak formed after the legendary The Bambi Molesters. 🎸

Their sound is both minimalist and lush, marked by a deep sense of atmosphere and emotion. Rooted in the garage and psychedelic rock of the sixties, LHD now strips away americana influences to deliver a pure surf wave that carries and elevates the images of silent cinema. 🌌

For context, “The Tavern” was the first feature film by director Joza Ivakić, produced by the School of Public Health as an educational drama about rural alcoholism. It was filmed on authentic Slavonian locations and screened throughout Yugoslavia, from small villages to major city cinemas. 🎞️

🎥 Watch the video and see what happens when 1929 meets 21st-century surf rock!

07/11/2025

🎬 Day One of the 19th PSSST! Silent Film Festival

Thank you to everyone who filled our hall last night and breathed with the films — in silence, in laughter, in wonder.
Dear audience, you were the perfect partners of light and shadow!

A heartfelt thank-you to musician Vitomir Ivanjek, who brought ten exceptional short films from Spain, Italy, Argentina, North Macedonia, Russia, and Croatia to life with his piano and soul — from mosquitoes and ghosts to love, accidental thieves, and messy rooms. 🎞️🎹

And when the screen lit up with “The Tavern” (1929), the band LHD turned the hall into a true rock cabaret of silent cinema! 🎸⚡
The sound of guitar and the rhythm of drums blended with the frames of old masters, and for a moment, the past shone as if it were happening right now.

Thank you for celebrating the festival’s first night with us!
See you again this evening! 🍿✨

06/11/2025

🎬 Snow White (Blancanieves) – 19th PSSST! Silent Film Festival
📅 Saturday, November 8, 2025, at 9:00 PM
📍 Main Hall of CeKaTe
🎟️ Free admission!

A beautiful tribute to European silent cinema by Spanish director Pablo Berger, this Snow White is set in one of the most romantically charged regions of Europe – Andalusia in the 1920s 🎞️, at the very heart of the silent film era.

Drawing inspiration from the well-known fairy tale, the film retains its key motifs, the cruel stepmother, the huntsman, the dwarfs, and the poisoned apple 🍎, but relocates the story into the world of bullfighting, creating an original and witty reinterpretation infused with the spirit of Spanish culture 🇪🇸.

The cast features Maribel Verdú, known for Belle Époque, Y Tu Mamá También and Pan’s Labyrinth, and Macarena García as Snow White, the daughter of a famous bullfighter who follows in her father’s footsteps, yet has forgotten her real name, Carmen, after a childhood trauma.

Masterfully using the language of silent storytelling, Berger creates a dreamlike, surreal atmosphere (echoing the Spanish avant-garde tradition since Un Chien Andalou), playfully exploring cultural stereotypes and their meaning.

Though it did not win as many awards as Michel Hazanavicius’ The Artist 🏆, Blancanieves loses nothing in comparison, many consider it more imaginative, emotionally resonant, and conceptually pure.

We would like to thank Embajada de España en Croacia, Delegation of the Government of Catalonia to Southeastern Europe, Cine ICAA and Filmoteca de Catalunya

06/11/2025

🎬 The 19th PSSST! Silent Film Festival starts today!
📅 Thursday, November 6, 2025
📍 Main Hall of the Trešnjevka Cultural Center
🎟️ Free admission!

Tonight brings a rich film program accompanied by the vivid live music of Vitomir Ivanjek:

🕖 19:00 – Competition Program I
Travel with us from Spain to Italy, North Macedonia, Russia, Argentina, and Croatia through a series of short silent films exploring humanity, coincidence, humor, and the poetry of everyday life.
🎶 Each frame comes to life in dialogue with live music!

📽️ 20:30 – Croatian Silent Film Heritage: Films on Alcoholism
Rarely seen gems of Croatian film history:
SPAS MALE ZORICE (1929), ČAROBNJACI (1928) and BIRTIJA (1929) – with a special live performance by LHD, reinterpreting the spirit of the past through the energy of the present.

🎞️ Join us as we embark on a cinematic journey through silence and sound — because PSSST! is where images speak louder than words.

06/11/2025

🎬 SPANISH SILENT FILM: SEGUNDO DE CHOMÓN – SHORT FILMS
📅 Saturday, November 8, 2025, at 7:00 PM
📍 Grand Hall, Trešnjevka Cultural Center
🎶 Live music: Lela and Joe Kaplowitz
🎟️ Free admission!

This year’s PSSST! Silent Film Festival invites you on a journey back to the age of cinematic magic through the work of Segundo de Chomón (1871–1929), one of Spain’s silent film pioneers and a true “master of illusion”, whose fantastical films stood shoulder to shoulder with those of Georges Méliès.

His films, created between 1905 and 1912, are filled with experimental effects, camera movements, parallel editing, and visual tricks, making him one of the most innovative filmmakers of early cinema.
De Chomón worked across France, Spain, and Italy, collaborating with greats like Giovanni Pastrone (Cabiria, 1914), and left a legacy that connects early film art to later avant-garde movements such as Dadaism and Surrealism.

🎞️ The program features 14 short films, including:
THE KING OF DOLLARS, VOYAGE TO JUPITER, THE ELECTRIC HOTEL, JAPANESE BUTTERFLIES, STRANGE SYMPHONY, and many more — true gems of film history where illusion turns into art.

✨ With live music by Lela and Joe Kaplowitz, join us for an evening where every frame breathes to the rhythm of the early 20th century and revives the spirit of cinematic wonder.

We would like to thank Embajada de España en Croacia, Delegation of the Government of Catalonia to Southeastern Europe, Cine ICAA and Filmoteca de Catalunya

05/11/2025

🎬 COMPETITION PROGRAM – 19th PSSST! Silent Film Festival
📅 Thursday and Friday, November 6 & 7, 2025, at 7:00 PM
📍 CeKaTe Main Hall
🎟️ Free admission!

This year’s competition program brings a wealth of diverse cinematic aesthetics, forms, and genres, from fiction, experimental, and animated films to horror, fantasy, comedy, and melodrama.
The selected works come from all over the world – Spain, Italy, North Macedonia, Russia, Argentina, Iran, Brazil, Kazakhstan, and Croatia – and are united by their boldness, curiosity, and love for silence.

🎞️ The central motif of this year’s program is the mirror, a symbol of modernist art and silent cinema, through which filmmakers explore identity, perception, and reality. The films play with self-referential and metafilmic techniques, in the spirit of silent cinema that continues to surprise and inspire.

📽️ COMPETITION PROGRAM I
📅 Thursday, November 6, 2025, at 7:00 PM
🎹 Live music: Vitomir Ivanjek

📽️ COMPETITION PROGRAM II
📅 Friday, November 7, 2025, at 7:00 PM
🎹 Live music: Sunrise Sessions – Pavle Jovanović, Ivar Roban Križić, Ivan Kapec

🎞️ Selection Committee:
Dr. Juraj Kukoč
Dr. Krunoslav Lučić
Dr. Višnja Pentić

🏆 The audience chooses the winner!
Every visitor can vote for their favorite film and help decide the winner of the Audience Award.
Your vote gives life to silent images, so come, watch, listen, and take part!

🎬 Two evenings, twenty films, two live music interpretations and one audience vote that can decide the winner.

05/11/2025

🎬 SPANISH SILENT FILM – CATALAN AMATEUR FILMS
📅 Saturday, November 8, 2025, at 5:00 PM
📍 CeKaTe Main Hall
🎟️ Free admission!

As part of the 19th PSSST! Silent Film Festival, taking place from November 6–8 at CeKaTe and exploring the world’s silent film heritage, we present a selection of Catalan amateur films from the archives of Filmoteca de Catalunya, one of Europe’s most important collections of silent cinema.

🎞️ These rare films, shot between the 1920s and 1930s, reveal a world caught between modernity and tradition – between fascination with progress and nostalgia for a slower, more harmonious past.
Driven by a pure passion for moving images, amateur filmmakers captured the lives, cities, and landscapes of Catalonia, the streets of Barcelona, mountain excursions, family moments, and industrial sites creating the first traces of documentary, experimental, and anthropological cinema in Spain.

🎤 The program will be introduced by Enrique Fibla-Gutierrez, Spanish film scholar and curator, who will shed light on how these amateur filmmakers, without any formal film training, laid the groundwork for the first significant film movement in Catalonia and Spain.

We would like to thank Embajada de España en Croacia, Delegation of the Government of Catalonia to Southeastern Europe, Cine ICAA and Filmoteca de Catalunya

Address

Park Stara Trešnjevka 1
Zagreb
10000

Website

http://festivalnijemogfilma.com/hr/

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