Silent Film and Live Music:
City Symphonies

A city symphony is a filmmaking concept introduced by Carl Mayer in 1927, first realized by Walter Ruttman in Berlin, Symphony of a Great City. Mayer’s idea wasn’t exactly “new” as it was outlined by László Moholy-Nagy already in 1925 in one of his texts on visual dynamic of the city.

During the 1920s and 1930s, there were several films that didn’t primarily focus on people but places and objects (cities, parks, beaches, resorts, ports or construction sites). This approach is sometimes called “the 3rd avant-garde”. This programme section is going to offer its most interesting outputs.