The third Yorkshire Silent Film Festival promises to be anything but silent.

Screenings of classic movies from the 1910s and 1920s will be accompanied by live music, just as they were more than 100 years ago.

And that, says festival director Jonathan Best, is the appeal of silent films for modern audiences. He explained: “It’s an unusual type of entertainment; a combination of going to the cinema and a live concert. It’s a live event and people find that really interesting. Films from the 1920s are particularly popular; it’s a period that fascinates people.”

The festival, from May 8 to 27, will see pop-up events all over Yorkshire, including four in Huddersfield, Holmfirth and Marsden. There will be showings of vintage films by some of the biggest names in the silent era. As Jonathan says, there’s no reason why silent movies can’t compete with 21st cinematic creations. He added: “If you want really high octane entertainment you couldn’t find anything better than some of the silent film epics of the 1910s and 20s - the historical epics - and some of the best comedy.”

Events in the Huddersfield area

Hoot Creative Arts Showcase at Heritage Quay, Huddersfield University, on Wednesday, May 9, at 2.30pm.

A music technology group run by the Hoots arts and mental health charity has composed electronic soundtracks for a selection of early films. This event is free but places need to be booked through the festival’s website ysff.co.uk

Oliver Twist and Laura and Hardy, with live piano and harp by Jonny Best and Elizabeth-Jane Baldry, at Choppards Mission, Holmfirth, on Tuesday, May 15 at 8.30pm. The double bill brings Dickens’ novel to life in the 1922 film version starring Jackie Coogan and offers a short comedy from the timeless duo. Tickets are £8 and £10 (children under 18 go free).

Louise Brooks in Beggars of Life at the Royal British Legion in Marsden on Wednesday, May 16, from 7.30pm.

Louise Brooks in Beggars of Life, a silent film being shown at the Yorkshire Silent Film Festival

This film is presented by Electric Theatre Cinema and features the famous actress in an American action-packed classic, with a live harp score by Elizabeth-Jane Baldry. Disguised as a boy, Nancy (played by Louise) goes on the run and travels by rail through stunning landscapes with a kindly drifter. Tickets are £8 and £10.

Professor Vanessa’s Performing Wonders at Huddersfield’s Ukrainian Club on Monday, May 28, at 7.30pm.

Be a guest of the Dolly Shot Pop-Up Picture House and enjoy an afternoon of entertainment celebrating the 250th anniversary of circus. See early films of dancing pigs and circus performers in a musical showcase of late-Victorian and early-Edwardian performance, drawn from archives around the world. There’s live piano by Donald Sosin. Tickets are £7.50 and £10 (£1 for children under 18).

The festival as a whole, which covers the country from York to Sheffield has 40 silent film events. For more details and to book tickets visit ysff.co.uk