For film lovers who live in the San Francisco area, make plans, if you haven’t already, to attend the 12th Annual San Francisco Silent Film Festival. For those who may thing a silent, black and white movie would be boring, you may change your mind as my wife did, seeing one of these classic films on the giant screen of the Castro Theater, with live music performed by either someone on “the mighty Wurlitzer organ” or a small group of musicians.

Among the highlights this year is the opening film, The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg from 1927, directed by Ernst Lubitsch, with Ramon Navarro, Norma Shearer and Jean Hersholt. If that last name sounds vaguely familiar, he’s the guy who that humanitarian award is named after at the Oscars.

The theater was overflowing last year when they screened Pandora’s Box starring Louise Brooks. This year the festival will feature Beggars for Life starring Brooks, Richard Arlen and Wallace Beery. The 1928 film was from William Wellman, director of Wings, the first Oscar winning film. William Wellman, Jr. will be present at the screening.

For you Turner Classic Movie fans, Robert Osborne will be on hand for the screening of Camille, starring Alla Nazimova and Rudolph Valentino.

Leonard Maltin will introduce several films produced by Hal Roach, including a silent Our Gang comedy. Maltin, Osborne and Wellman will also be available to sign copies of their respective books.