The Silent Film Festival «Silent Fever» took place in Warsaw.

In the courtyard of the Free Belarus Museum in Warsaw (Foksal 11), the Silent Film Festival «Silent Fever» was successfully held, featuring live music by composers from Belarus and Poland. The event took place throughout August and early September, gathering cinema and music enthusiasts under the open sky in the heart of the Polish capital.

The festival provided a unique opportunity to revive the authentic silent film experience, where music spoke louder than words. On Thursdays, audiences could watch four silent films from Ukraine, Poland, Germany, and Belarus, each accompanied by live music composed specifically for the screenings.

Among the festival’s musical participants were renowned composers and performers:

• Dariusz Przybylski – organ «Hemand» (Poland)
• Aleksandra Chmielewska – piano and electronics (Poland)
• Filip Sporniak – cello (Poland)
• Volha Padgayskaya – piano (Belarus)
• Five-Storey Ensemble (Belarus)

«Silent Fever» Festival Program:

• August 14 – Adventures of a Half-Ruble (Ukraine), music by Volha Padgayskaya
• August 21 – White Trace (Poland), music by Dariusz Przybylski
• August 28 – Faust (Germany), music by Volha Padgayskaya
• September 4 – Prostitute (Belarus), music by Aleksandra Chmielewska

The audience was particularly captivated by Oleg Frelikh’s 1926 film Prostitute, which is considered by some as the first film in the history of Belarusian cinema. The plot follows the Tyrkin family, struck by tragedy: the main breadwinner dies, and the widow with her children is forced to find means of survival, leading her to the boulevard.

The «Silent Fever» Festival became a notable event in Warsaw’s cultural life, combining silent cinema with contemporary music and highlighting the connection between Belarusian and Polish art.

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