Check out the program for Tromsø Silent Film Days 2025!

April 23 - 26, Verdensteatret will be filled with newly composed music, iconic film classics, and some of the country’s most exciting musicians.

Confronting Hamsun and Sámi Discrimination

The festival has already announced two powerful Sámi-centered works, including this year’s opening performance MARKENS GRØDE / Live: Nordic Silent Film Orchestra and BY SLEDGE AND REINDEER IN INKA LÄNTA'S WINTERLAND / Live: Dálveeatnamat Ensemble. The latter premiered to a sold-out audience and standing ovation at TIFF in January. Both performances explore how Sámi music can shift the narrative and reshape the portrayal of Sámi culture in early cinema.

– We’re proud to have a strong Sámi focus in this year’s edition. By inviting Sámi musicians to reinterpret these films, we confront the past and retell the stories from a new perspective, says Festival Director Lisa Hoen.

Where film meets folk tunes, electronica – and madness

Among this year’s highlights is Carl Th. Dreyer’s legendary The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928), accompanied by THE GLORIA – an experimental music project led by Macfra. The result is an intense soundscape that meets Falconetti’s iconic performance head-on. The concert is presented in collaboration with Insomnia Festival.

– The music feels both industrial and tactile – Macfra truly gives everything on stage. Combined with one of the most stylistically powerful films ever made and a deeply moving portrait of a woman, it’s bound to leave a lasting impression, says Hoen.

The Japanese classic A Page of Madness (1926) offers a haunting piece of psychological and experimental cinema, brought to life with a live score by an ensemble led by Kjetil Schjander Luhr, joined by Wei Ting Tseng, Øystein H. Bang, and Liv Lande.

– I’m incredibly excited to experience this film with live music in the cinema. It’s mysterious, surreal, and gains even more power with exotic instruments like the koto and powerful Japanese drums, says John-Kristian Dalseth, Head of Programming at Cinemateket

French Film Noir, Chaplin, and National Romanticism

Audiences can also look forward to a dark and moving film noir with the French silent film Dans la Nuit (1929), featuring live music by Cleaning Women Duo – known for their unique instruments made from washing machines and clothes racks. This haunting story of love, tragedy, and identity is directed by Charles Vanel, who also boldly takes on both leading roles.

For those wanting to see Chaplin at his best, The Circus (1928) – one of his most acclaimed comedies – will be screened with live piano accompaniment by Kjetil Schjander Luhr, in collaboration with Tromsø Barnefilmklubb. A true family event, welcoming both kids and adults.

The Norwegian classic Fante-Anne (1920) gets a fresh musical reinterpretation by Dina Konradsen and Jo Einar Tobias Sterten Jansen, blending traditional folk music with modern electronica. And for those who want to keep the energy going, the party continues at Folkemølje – a club night in Verdensteatret’s café, where Konradsen, Jansen, and Charlotte Bendiks take over the decks after the screening.

A Grand Finale with a Legend

This year’s festival closes with the iconic classic The Phantom of the Opera (1925) – featuring a brand-new live score by Pulgasari Trio, the dynamic rock trio from Tromsø.

– When it comes to iconic silent films, The Phantom of the Opera is impossible to overlook. The film celebrates its 100th anniversary this year, and I’m incredibly excited to see what Pulgasari brings to the music. They’re one of the most exciting bands in Tromsø right now, says Dalseth.

A Festival Program of Power and Contrast

 - This year’s program ranges from national romantic mountain landscapes to dark masquerade balls, from experimental madness to poetic joiks. We believe the audience will experience both powerful cinema and new ways of seeing and hearing silent film, Hoen concludes.

Check out the full program and get your tickets!