The Silent Film Festival

The festival that rewrote the history of silent film

When it comes to early cinema, Pordenone is not just a stop: it is the absolute benchmark. Le Giornate del Cinema Muto, founded in 1982, has become over the decades the most important and prestigious festival in the world dedicated to the silent era, a week in which the Friulian city transforms into the international capital of an art form that continues to speak even without words.

Promoted by the Cineteca del Friuli, the Giornate attracts around a thousand accredited attendees each year from over forty countries: scholars, archivists, restorers, musicians, distributors, and simply enthusiasts who fill the halls of the Teatro Comunale Giuseppe Verdi, the pulsating heart of the event, and the Cinemazero. A community that gathers here year after year, making Pordenone a unique crossroads for those who love cinema in its purest form.

Screenings, restorations, and live accompaniment

The festival's distinctive feature is the quality of its screenings: films often restored by the world's leading archives, presented with electronic subtitles translated into Italian and English, and, above all, with live musical accompaniment. This is the magic of the Giornate, where each screening becomes an unrepeatable event thanks to the dialogue between image and music.

Each edition revolves around major thematic retrospectives and focuses on national or regional cinematographies, alongside rediscoveries of forgotten directors and world premieres of internationally anticipated restorations. The program is completed by the Collegium, seminars, book and DVD presentations, conferences, and meetings that also make the festival a hub for study and research.

A week for the city

For Pordenone, the Giornate are much more than a review: they are an identity mark that projects the capital of Western Friuli onto the world cultural scene, in a journey that accompanies the city towards the title of Italian Capital of Culture 2027. With the support of the Municipality of Pordenone, the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, and numerous institutions, the festival continues to combine scientific rigor and popular passion.