HippFest Opening Night

Restoration World Premiere

** starts 7.30pm **

Stand aside Saoirse... it's time to make way for the silent era's answer to the most celebrated and romantic figure in Scottish history: Mary Stuart.

After the cancellation of our 2020 Festival, we are delighted at last to present the world premiere of a new restoration of this extremely rare British feature film, chronicling the Scottish Queen's life. Full of intrigue, betrayal and scandal: her bitter enmity with John Knox, wars with the unruly Scottish nobility, her fatal marriages to Darnley and Bothwell, her captivity, imprisonment and execution at the hands of Queen Elizabeth... all are played out in this ambitious historical costume drama.

This evening's screening will be 'elaborated' with a performance by the internationally acclaimed professional storyteller Andy Cannon providing historical context during reel changeovers.

Dir. Denison Clift | UK | 1923 | U | 2h incl. Narration | BSL-English interpretation
With: Fay Compton, Gerald Ames, Ivan Samson

Performing live: Andy Cannon (narrator/explainer), Wendy Weatherby (cello, voice), Frank McLaughlin (guitar, pipes), David Trouton (piano)

Screening material and restoration courtesy of Archive Film Agency and Celluloid Tapestry

This event has been supported by the Year of Stories 2022 Community Stories Fund. This fund is being delivered in partnership between VisitScotland and Museums Galleries Scotland with support from National Lottery Heritage Fund thanks to National Lottery players.