HippFest 2019

That the Parliament welcomes HippFest 2019, which is to be held at the Bo’ness Hippodrome from 20 to 24 March; understands that it will be Scotland’s first silent film festival and will feature events, screenings, new commissions and workshops; notes that there will also be live music and storytelling by national and international musicians and performers; believes that the programme is a mix of rare, recently re-discovered and classic films, with live accompaniment; understands that it will also revive the tradition of the "film explainer", who is part narrator/part actor; congratulates the Falkirk Community Trust on organising the festival under the direction of Alison Strauss, with support from Falkirk Council, FilmHub Scotland, Creative Scotland and Visit Falkirk; believes that, by bringing together a programme of films and events, which it hopes will attract cinema-lovers and silent film enthusiasts from across the world to Bo’ness and the surrounding areas, this will further secure what it sees as the Falkirk area’s status as a growing and flourishing place of diverse and varied tourism; looks forward to HippFest, which it believes will be a success, and wishes the organisers the very best for this year's and future festivals.