electric edwardians

The films of Mitchell & Kenyon UK with live score performed by [In the Nursery]

The most exciting British film discovery of recent times, the Mitchell and Kenyon Collection (1900-13) was miraculously rediscovered and restored after many decades sitting in sealed barrels in the basement of a photographer's shop.

The films, more than 800 rolls of early nitrate film, are an amazing and often eerie visual record of everyday life in Edwardian Britain, a testament to the lives of ordinary people at work and play - whether swarming out of factories, participating in the Halifax Catholic Procession, enjoying Sedgwick's Bioscope Show Front, or supporting Manchester United in the football giant's first season. The films were commissioned from the Mitchell and Kenyon Company by touring showmen during the days before purpose-built cinemas.

With a live musical accompaniment from UK duo [In the Nursery], [Electric Edwardians] brings a selection of 30 of these luminous films to life.

Sreenings of [Electric Edwardians: The Films of Mitchell & Kenyon] will be accompanied by a new score performed live by [In the Nursery]/

Co-presented by the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI)

[In the Nursery]

In the Nursery (ITN) is a Sheffield-based musical project, the nucleus of which is twin brothers Klive and Nigel Humberstone. ITN's musical history spans more than two decades and has constantly expressed the desire for progress and experimentation. ITN's sublime cinematic music blends electronica, classical arrangements, orchestral percussion and soundscapes, evoking a timeless quality.

In the Nursery have released more than two dozen albums since 1981. When Cherished Dreams Come True marked the beginning of a prolific musical career, which has since seen landmark albums such as Twins (1986), L'espirit (1990), Sense (1991), Anatomy of a Poet (1994), Deco (1996), Lingua (1998) and Engel (2001). The creative progress of the band's albums has always consolidated its distinctive sound, while it has also taken on board contemporary influences. Its latest release, Praxis, has continued this remarkable artistic development. ITN's music has been used on numerous film soundtracks and trailers, including Interview with a Vampire, Erin Brokovich, Along came a Spider, The Rainmaker, The Sweet Hereafter, An Ambush of Ghosts, Random Hearts and The Manchurian Candidate, as well as on the La Femme Nikitta TV series.

Parallel to its studio works, ITN have spent the last nine years developing the ‘Optical Music Series', new scores for classic silent films. The series to date has included The Cabinet of Dr Caligari, Asphalt, Man with a Movie Camera, Hindle Wakes and its Australian premiere, A Page of Madness, which featured at MIFF 04. ITN has performed its scores at screenings throughout Europe, and brings the Electric Edwardians programme to Australia exclusively for MIFF 05.

For a wealth of additional ITN information, go to: www.inthenursery.com
Co-presented by the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI)