Silent cinema is badly named.
It lacked recorded dialogue, but screenings were frequently accompanied by live music.
The modern cine-concert therefore does more than place a new soundtrack under an old film. It restores one of cinema's earliest experiences: each screening can breathe differently according to the musicians in the room.
Created in 2005, FiMé returns from 31 October to 8 November across several towns in Toulon Provence Méditerranée. Métropole Toulon Provence Méditerranée
The opening at Le Liberté pairs Jacques Tati's “Trafic” with electro-pop trio Temps Calme. Buster Keaton's “Sherlock Junior” meets the jazz trio Yoshiwara in Ollioules, while Dziga Vertov's “Man with a Movie Camera” receives a new electronic performance at Cinéma Le Royal in Toulon. Métropole Toulon Provence Méditerranée
Further events take place in Six-Fours, Hyères, La Valette, La Garde and Le Pradet, ending with Lotte Reiniger's pioneering “The Adventures of Prince Achmed”. Métropole Toulon Provence Méditerranée
The attraction of a cine-concert is simple.
The images remain unchanged.
The film does not.
Different music can alter tension, humour, rhythm and even the way a character is perceived.
FiMé therefore allows audiences to rediscover films they may believe they already know.
Its geography adds another dimension: instead of occupying a single venue, the festival moves across the metropolitan area.
For nine days, Toulon Provence Méditerranée becomes a cinema divided into several screens — each with musicians playing beneath the image.
