Returning to the Newhall Family Theatre is the Newhallywood Silent Film Festival presented by the City of Santa Clarita. The 2025 Newhallywood Silent Film Festival celebrates the film heritage of the Santa Clarita Valley and the film industry before the introduction of sound. This year’s festival honors Lon Chaney, the man of 1000 faces, and Director/Writer/Editor/Film Theorist Sergei Eisenstein.

Starting the day off, at 1:00 pm, is a screening of The Lost World, celebrating it’s 100th Anniversary. The Lost World is the first film adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic novel about a land where prehistoric creatures still roam. This film is wildly known as being the first feature-length film to include model animation as the primary special effect. (Running time is 110 minutes)

At 3:30 pm, is a screening in honor of the 100th Anniversary of The Big Parade. Considered one of the most successful films of the silent era, and MGM’s most successful film of the silent era, this classic film tells the story of a young American soldier who witnesses the horrors of the Great War. Receiving praise for its realistic depiction of warfare, The Big Parade was added to the United States National Film Registry in 1992. (Running time is 151 minutes)

Closing out the Newhallywood Film Festival, at 8:00 pm, is the induction ceremony of Sergei Eisenstein and a screening of Battleship Potemkin, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of its release. In the midst of the Russian Revolution of 1905, the crew of the battleship Potemkin mutiny against the brutal, tyrannical regime of the vessel’s officers. The resulting street demonstration in Odessa brings on a police massacre. See why film critics consider this to be one of the best  films of all time. (Running time is 71 minutes)

**Important note regarding parking: street parking is very limited. The Old Town Newhall Library parking lot, as well as the structure across the street, are located within short walking distance of the Newhall Family Theatre for the Performing Arts.**