Toronto SILENT FILM Festival

06/20/2026

Sometimes we get mail at TSFF headquaters and most of the time it's wonderful. This time I think the wonderfully weird might be the right way to view this.
Even weirder-the envelope was correctly addressed to us but the return address was also ours. There was no stamp BUT the post office did have a cancellation stamp on it. I blocked out the guy's name and complete address but if anyone's in North Carolina USA and wants to check out the claim...
(Methinks this MAY be a scam!- everybody knows LAM came out on Laserdisc)

06/19/2026

A follow-up from FIAF on that targeted bombing of the Dovzhenko National Film Studio that destroyed the costume collection and damaged other areas.

06/15/2026

Russia attacked the Dovzhenko Film Centre in Kyiv destroying the 100,000 costume archive and damaging several other parts of the centre. The Centre dates back to its days as the Dovzhenko film studio in 1927.
Photos from Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture.

06/12/2026

While we may be on a bit of summer hiatus, it’s never too early to plan ahead. So excited to be involved in this project-legendary Nash the Slash doubling down to the silent horror classics Nosferatu and Cabinet of Dr. Caligari like you’ve never seen or heard before.

06/10/2026

Fall may be in the future but it'll start with a double bill for the ages with music by the legendary Nash the Slash. Not seen/heard in Toronto in decades.
Mark Nov 15th at the Paradise when Gary Topp Presents….
Nash the Slash doubling down on silent horror-Nosferatu & Cabinet of Dr. Caligari has he originally presented them.

“Why the fascination with Nosferatu? It’s the first Dracula movie, and it has an intriguing history in the world of early cinema.

How many times have you seen it? More than 100.

What instrument best replicates fear? The violin, closely followed by the organ. Poulenc’s organ concerto is the scariest music I have ever heard.

How often do you change your bandages? Every morning before showering.

Summer’s coming. Does gauze breathe? Does your underwear?”

Find tickets for TEST - Melissa Test Attraction showing at the Paradise Theatre - Toronto, CA Sunday Nov 15, 1:15PM Tickets starting at $17.98

06/09/2026

While newsletter followers already got the link, it’s good to spread good stuff around. Comique is a well written, well researched great read on comedians and comedy from the silent era right on up to the 70s. 236 pages to start your summer reading off on the right foot.

COMIQUE IS BACK!

After a three year hiatus, we proudly present COMIQUE – The Classic Comedy Magazine, Volume II, Number I (Issue No. 3)!

This massive project, crafted and contributed to by some of the finest authors and historians in the field, is The Comique Group’s holiday GIFT to you -- FREE. Gratis. Complimentary. On the house. No charge. Bupkis!

Read or download your very own copy from the link below:

https://archive.org/details/comique-the-classic-comedy-magazine-volume-ii-number-i-issue-3-2025

COMIQUE No. 3 contains a whopping 236 pages of original articles, fascinating stories, and hundreds of rare images featuring the great, not-so-great, and nearly forgotten comedians from the 1900s through the 1970s!

In this issue:

Raymond Rohauer Redux by Edward Watz

Louise Fazenda - The Forgotten Queen of Slapstick by Lea Stans

What’s A Stooge? Ted Healy Tells You! by Robert Fender

Lloyd V. Hamilton – Silent Comedy’s Poor Soul by Richard M. Roberts

The Hamilton Filmography – Rob Farr, Richard M. Roberts, Joe Moore

Centerfold – The Comique Cutie

Polly Moran – A Bassoon in “Hollywood’s Symphony of Sweet-Tuned Violins” by Joanna E. Rapf

Buster Keaton in the USSR by Olga Egorova

Minta Durfee Arbuckle – In Person by Paul E. Gierucki

Vernon Dent Speaks by Alice Morse

In Their Own Write – Letters From Hollywood – Stan Laurel

When Bud Was Funnier Than Lou by Edward Watz

and much, much more!

We sincerely hope that you will enjoy this continuing labor of love. Happy Holidays!

Download COMIQUE – THE CLASSIC COMEDY MAGAZINE here:

https://archive.org/details/comique-the-classic-comedy-magazine-volume-ii-number-i-issue-3-2025

06/07/2026

That's a wrap for the TSFF season at the beautiful .
Met some old friends and made some new fans for Clara and silent films and live accompaniment. See you in the fall.

06/07/2026

Don't forget to visit our merch table for TSFF2026 Ts, Tote bags (including some featuring Clara), flapper buttons, women in film pins and DVDs See you at 2pm (doors at Paradise open at 1:30pm)

06/06/2026