Two silent films accompanied with live music to screen in Cairo

CAIRO – 8 November 2017: Two silent short films “At Land” (1946) and “A Trip to the Moon” will screen at Magnolia Leaves of Art and will be accompanied with a live piano recital by the renowned musician Mohamed Nagla on November 24.

Directed and written by Maya Deren, the surreal experimental American film “At Land” revolves around a woman who wakes up on a beach to find herself in a journey where she tries to locate a chess piece while travelling from the beach to a party, to a country back and goes back to the beach.

Starring John Cage, Maya Deren, and Alexander Hammid among others, the 15-minute film’s cinematography was made by Alexndr Hackenschmied and Hella Heyman.

The second silent short film that will partake in Magnolia’s screening night is a fictional film called “Le Voyage Dans La Lune” (A Trip to The Moon) (1902) which depicts a group of astronomers’ journey as they embark on a mission to the moon through a capsule that was shot from a giant cannon. The astronauts are later challenged when they’re captured by moon-men but manage to escape and return to earth.

Directed by Georges Méliès, the film stars Georges Méliès, Victor André, and Bleuette Bernon among others. The French 13-minute film has won the Best Motion Picture award at the Online Film & Television Association in 2017.


Despite being an old film and less preferred by some audiences, “A Trip to the Moon” will screen to show the artistic works of the French filmmaker who was able to produce sound and visual effects at a time when the cinema industry was poor in techniques. This proves that a lack of creativity, not a lack of techniques, is the only obstacle to producing well-established work, according to the event’s official page.

The silent screenings will be supported by a live visual music performance by composer and music distributor, Nagla, who developed his interest and passion in discovering the relation between visual arts and music.

Nagla has collaborated with several artists including fine artist Yasser Rustom who held an art gallery accompanied with special composed music, and sculptor Samya Monsef who displayed her statues previously at Palace of Arts.

He has also contributed in other silent films screenings where he composed music for the silent film “Child” by Charlie Chaplin that was displayed at Cairo Opera House, Damanhour Opera House, and Alexandria Opera House.