Silent Picture Show presents: Ménilmontant (1926) with live score

“One of the least-known masterpieces of the screen” - Pauline Kael on Ménilmontant

Silent Picture Show x Finch Community Cinema present: Dimitri Kirsanoff’s Ménilmontant (1926), a visually exquisite tour de force of the Parisian avant-garde.

Shot on the streets of the titular working-class neighbourhood for next to nothing, the film follows the fates of two orphaned sisters who, living in the wake of violent tragedy, are plagued by poverty and subject to male manipulation. Kirsanoff innovatively shuns the use of intertitles - experimenting towards a poetic, purely visual cinematic language - while lead actress Nadia Sibirskaïa (Kirsanoff’s wife and creative collaborator) is spellbinding in her naturalism.

The mid-length feature will be complemented by Kirsanoff’s stunning lesser-known short Brumes d'automne (1928).

Accompanied by live original music from acclaimed silent film pianist John Sweeney. With an introduction by event curator Ellen Cleary.

Tickets are £7, with 15% of all sales donated to MAP (Medical Aid for Palestinians).

Doors 6:30pm, Film starts 7pm.

Recent digital restorations courtesy FPA Classics/Lobster Films.