The Netherlands Silent Film Festival (NSFF) is the largest film festival in the Netherlands in the field of silent films from the 1920s and 1930s and takes place every January in Pand P and Parktheater Eindhoven. Sit back and immerse yourself in the black-and-white movies of a bygone era with evocative piano playing and a live orchestra.
Films of the silent era with live piano
NSFF takes place in Eindhoven and is the largest film festival in the Netherlands dedicated entirely to silent movies. In the first decades of commercial films, before "the talkies", stories were conveyed without words but instead through exaggerated emotions, facial expressions and, last but not least, live music, usually performed on the piano. That's what you'll see and hear at NSFF, with performances that will pull at your heartstrings.
Bringing cinematic heritage of the silent film era to wider audiences
Both during the festival and throughout the year, the NSFF is committed to making the cinematic heritage of the silent film era more accessible to diverse audiences in the Netherlands. The festival does this, not only with screenings for a wide audience, but also with educational projects, workshops and lectures. NSFF strives to bring silent movies to wider audiences because the creativity and innovation of this very earliest form of film deserve to be seen!
The NSFF team keeps up with current developments in the world of silent film. This includes recent rediscoveries, restorations and new research results. That is why the festival features both crowd-pleasing favourites and hidden gems, all with live musical accompaniment.
Netherlands Silent Film Festival programme 2025
Here's an overview of the Netherlands Silent Film Festival programme 2025:
3 Bad Men
3 Bad Men is a 1926 influential western movie by the famed director John Ford (The Searchers, The Grapes of Wrath), starring Brabant-born actor Lou Tellegen in the role of a corrupt sheriff. The film is known for its spectacular action sequences, epic landscapes, humour and romance.
Slapstick Saturday
Slapstick Saturday is an unmissable comedy tribute and has proved to be the annual highlight of the Netherlands Silent Film Festival. This year, Slapstick Saturday’s feature film is Harold Lloyd’s Grandma’s Boy (1923) and also includes short films by Laurel and Hardy and Baby Peggy. Live musical accompaniment is performed by the Dutch Film Orchestra.
The Kid
Chaplin's first full-length motion feature The Kid is a masterpiece for all ages, an ode to fathers and their children. It's complete with live piano accompaniment played by Maud Nelissen, who beautifully arranges and performs Chaplin's original film music.