Welcome Silent Londoners, the festive season starts here. The mince pies are baking in the oven, the lights are twinkling on the tree, and it is time to start chewing your pencils as you complete the Silent London Poll of 2021.
Last year when I introduced the poll, I wrote: “in the face of adversity the silent film community has more than rallied. The pandemic did not stop people screening, scoring, restoring and publishing. So we want to applaud and honour those efforts.”
I could say the same again.
Although many cinemas were open and festivals went ahead this year, 2021 has still been a very difficult year, but a combination of ingenuity, the internet and Covid safety protocols meant that we have been almost busy watching and enjoying silent cinema as ever. Hats off to all the people that made this such a strong year for silent film.
Perhaps this year your own silent film activities were curtailed, but maybe you were also able to attend distant events, albeit virtually. Please, share your discoveries with your fellow fans via the Poll.
As ever, only two questions in the poll are mandatory – so even if you have to skip some sections, I really, really want to collect your votes in the other categories.
If you want to refresh your memory, why not have a browse through some of the reviews here, or on the impressively comprehensive and erudite IThankYou site. This year has been far from quiet, what with Kennington Bioscopes in-person and online, Hippfest, Pordenone, Bologna, London Film Festival… new books, DVDs and many wonderful discoveries and restorations.
Scroll down to start voting, or click here to load on a new tab. The poll will stay open until early January, so you have time to think and watch and think some more … You will not be silenced!
Happy voting!
• Silent London will always be free to all readers. If you enjoy checking in with the site, including reports from silent film festivals, features and reviews, please consider shouting me a coffee on my Ko-Fi page.
• You can read my review of the year in archive cinema in the new issue of Sight and Sound, which is out next week, I think.
