HippFest celebrated its 15th edition between 19th - 23rd March, with a programme of 15 feature films and 25 short films taking place in the Hippodrome Cinema, as well as a talk, workshop, a tour at the newly restored Rosebank Distillery, and the ever-popular Platform Reels at Kinneil Railway. Our online programme HippFest at Home offered 4 events available to watch ‘on-demand’ during the festival (1 talk and 3 features) as well as 3 pre-festival presentations in the months leading up to the festival.

Highlights of HippFest’s 15th edition included the opening night of With Reindeer and Sled in Inka Länta’s Winterland (1926) with a live score performed by Sámi musicians; a whistle stop tour of making music for the movie with Neil Brand: Key Notes; and a focus on films from the Emerald Isle with accompaniment from avant-garde and improvisational pianist Paul G. Smyth. HippFest's glitzy Friday Night Gala screening The Pride of the Clan (1917) included a piper’s salute to the Hippodrome on the red carpet, and Scotland’s own Tommy Perman and Andrew Wasylyk brought their unique blend of found sounds and folktronica to HippFest x Flatpack commissioned What the Water Remembers - The Dark Mirror (2025), a new creative non-fiction film created by artist Moira Salt.