About

In partnership with the National Film and Sound Archive Australia (NFSA), we present the world premiere of three film restorations starring renowned Australian Olympian and actor Reginald Leslie 'Snowy' Baker (1884–1953). The beloved early Australian silent feature The Man from Kangaroo 1919 is the centrepiece of a major Snowy Baker restoration project recently completed by the NFSA, and screens alongside two films Baker made after leaving Australia and settling in Hollywood: Empire Builders 1924 and The Sword of Valor 1924.

All three films screen with live musical accompaniment by acclaimed Italian pianist Mauro Colombis, who was commissioned to write new scores for the restorations.

Live Accompaniment

Mauro Colombis is a versatile Italian musician with international concert experience. He holds two masters in classical piano performance (from Tchaikovsky Moscow Conservatory in 1998 and Venice Conservatory in 2005) and a Bachelor of Art, Music and Spectacle from the University of Bologna.

In the last decade Mauro Colombis has specialised in the live accompaniment of silent cinema, bringing together his own captivating compositions and improvisational methods. He regularly plays major film festivals around the world including the famed Le Giornate del Cinema Muto, the leading international silent film festival in Italy, alongside festivals in Thailand, China and Australia (Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Adelaide and Brisbane).

He has collaborated a number of times with the National Film and Sound Archive, including the piano music for the beloved Australian silent The Story of the Kelly Gang (Charles Tait, 1906), released on DVD in 2007.