I am delighted to share some very welcome news. Personally, I was really sorry that Hippfest had to be cancelled this year – a week or two earlier and it would have been fine. It’s no secret that it’s one of my favourite festivals, so I am already excited about returning to Bo’ness in 2021.

So I am chuffed to my boots to let you know that on Saturday 4 July, at 8pm (BST) Hippfest will be screening a classic silent horror movie with live accompaniment by the maestro Neil Brand on YouTube. That’s what I call a Saturday night.

The film is … Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1920), starring the Great Profile himself John Barrymore in – spoiler alert –  both title roles. It’s a fantastic film and I am honoured to be scribbling the screening notes and delivering a short introduction before the movie. Big thanks to Kino Lorber for supplying the film.

Join this Facebook group and follow Hippfest on your social media of choice to stay updated. Here’s where you can watch the film. Please share the details of this event with your friends far and wide, also.

Right now, I have to go write those notes, but so much has happened since we last spoke. Here is some of the silent-related stuff that I have been up to.

• Welcoming the second edition of my Pandora’s Box book, with a very exclusive launch party, eg a cup of tea at my desk.
• Writing about the wonderful screenwriter Frances Marion for the Criterion Collection.
• Appearing on the Evolution of Horror podcast to chat about Un Chien Andalou.
• Tackling Ryan Murphy’s Hollywood revisionism for the Guardian.
• Writing and producing a newsletter for Sight & Sound, the Weekly Film Bulletin. Which isn’t all silent, admittedly. One day …

• If you want to support Hippfest, you can text ‘HIPPFEST’ to 70460 to donate £10. Or you can opt to give any whole amount up to £20, eg Text ‘HIPPFEST 5’ to donate £5 or ‘HIPPFEST 20’ to donate £20 (standard rate message costs apply).
• In case you missed the Bologna news, Il Cinema Ritrovato has been postponed to 25-31 August, although the full details are yet to be announced.
• 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