PENISTONE FILM FESTIVAL
Where Every Frame Tells a Story
About Us
Penistone Film Festival is a not-for-profit Community Interest Company celebrating the past, present and future of cinema. Bringing together filmmakers, classic films, live music, celebrity guests and unique experiences, we inspire the next generation through free youth initiatives, workshops and industry connections. We aim to make enjoying cinema and pursuing filmmaking inclusive and accessible to everyone.
Learn More →2026 Festival Programme
Experience award-winning films, silent cinema, live music and exclusive guest appearances throughout the festival.
Festival Schedule
Saturday & Sunday
1-2 AugustAction to Screen Workshop
📍 Quest TaekwondoFriday
16 OctoberOpening Night – Nandor Fodor & Q&A
📍 Penistone ParamountSaturday
17 OctoberOpen Church (Free & All Day)
📍 St John the Baptist ChurchThe Cabinet of Dr Caligari
📍 Penistone ParamountHarold Lloyd + Silent Curiosities
📍 Penistone ParamountFrom Vaudeville to Avant Garde
📍 Penistone ParamountBattling Butler
📍 Penistone ParamountSunday
18 OctoberGala Awards and Meal
📍 St John the Baptist ChurchAftershow Organ Party
📍 St John the Baptist Church2026 Passes
2 Day VIP Pass
£35 - £119
17th & 18th October 10:00AM
Free tickets available for registered carers.
- Early Access
- Reserved Seating
- Exclusive VIP souvenir bag
- Awards Evening
- Networking
- Weekend Access
Event Passes
Saturday or Sunday
£8 - £69
17th & 18th October 10:00AM
Free tickets available for registered carers.
- Day Pass for 1 Day
- Gala Awards Dinner
- Matt Walters Aftershow Party
- Awards Evening
- Networking
Want to win some free tickets?
12th-16th August
Free
For a limited time only, Penistone Film Festival is running a social media giveaway on Facebook. Visit our Facebook page for more information. Here are the terms and competitions for the social media giveaway (August 2026).Read our Terms and conditions
Action to Screen Workshop
1st-2nd August • 10:00 – 16:00
Free
A unique FREE two-day filmmaking experience delivered in partnership with the British Stunt Register. Learn professional screen combat, filmmaking and storytelling from industry professionals before creating and starring in your own action film, which will be screened at Penistone Film Festival 2026. Worth over £300 per participant, with only 20 places available for ages 16+.
Application Closed
Nandor Fodor and the Talking Mongoose & exclusive Q&A with Hollywood Director
16 October • 19:00 – 22:00
£3.50 - £6.50
Free tickets available for registered carers.
Set in 1935 and filmed in Yorkshire, starring Simon Pegg, Minnie Driver and Christopher Lloyd. Based on a true story, the film follows renowned paranormal psychologist Dr Nandor Fodor as he investigates a family’s extraordinary claim of a talking animal.
View Event
The Cabinet of Dr Caligari
17 October • 10:00 – 12:30
£8.50 - £15
Free tickets available for registered carers.
The mysterious Dr. Caligari exhibits a somnambulist named Cesare at a travelling fair, a sleepwalker said to predict the future. When a series of murders terrorises a small German town, suspicions arise that Cesare may be acting under his master’s sinister influence.
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Harold Lloyd + Silent Curiosities
17 October • 13:30 – 15:00
£6.50 - £10.50
Sensory Friendly Event
Free tickets available for registered carers.
House lights partially raised, adjusted volume levels and audience members are welcome to move around if needed. Featuring: • The Cameraman's Revenge (1912) • High and Dizzy (1920) • Never Weaken (1921) Followed by the Student Filmmaker Showcase and the announcement of finalists by judge Ruby Barker (Bridgerton).
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From Vaudeville to Avant Garde
17 October • 16:30 – 18:30
£6.50 - £10.50
Free tickets available for registered carers.
Featuring: • Putting Pants on Philip (1927) • The Lucky Dog (1921) • Film (1965) starring Buster Keaton. Followed by Sporting Stories and Music category filmmaker showcase with finalists announced by judge Andy Quin.
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Battling Butler
17 October • 19:00 – 22:00
£8.50 - £15
Free tickets available for registered carers.
Buster Keaton stars as Alfred Butler, a mild-mannered millionaire mistaken for a famous prizefighter. Attempting to impress a young woman, Alfred assumes the identity of the boxer, leading to comedic misunderstandings and an unforgettable finale.
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Gala Awards Event
18 October • 10:00
£55 - £69
Free Entry available for registered carers.
📍 St John the Baptist Church
Join us at St John the Baptist Church on Sunday 18 October for our star-studded Golden Age of Hollywood Gala Awards Event. Penistone Folk Ensemble will provide live entertainment throughout the day, alongside special guests, awards presentations and a three-course dinner from Shoot the Bull. With familiar faces in the audience, a fully licensed bar, live organ music, dancing and our after-show party, this will be a festival finale to remember.
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Aftershow Organ Party
18 October • 6pm
£8
Free tickets available for registered carers.
Not attending the Gala Awards Dinner but still want to be part of the festival finale? You can purchase a standalone ticket for the official closing party of Penistone Film Festival 2026. Step inside one of Penistone's most historic buildings as St John the Baptist Church is transformed for a truly unique live music experience.
Book NowFestival Awards
Celebrating exceptional filmmaking, creativity and visual storytelling from around the world.
Awards & Prizes
Awards Made in South Yorkshire. Our trophies are not mass produced. Each one is a carefully chosen piece of vintage Sheffield pewter, repurposed and locally engraved by House of Logos to create a completely unique Penistone Film Festival award. They bring together Penistone’s own proud industrial heritage with Sheffield’s world-famous tradition of steel and metalwork, celebrating the shared craftsmanship of South Yorkshire while remaining firmly rooted in our home here in the Barnsley borough. Some are more than 100 years old, and no two are the same, giving every winning filmmaker a genuine piece of local history to take home.
Submit Your Film
See your work screened at the historic Penistone Paramount in South Yorkshire. We welcome dialogue-free and minimal-dialogue films from around the world, from students and first-time filmmakers to established professionals. With awards celebrating visual storytelling, comedy, action, sport, music and Minecraft filmmaking, selected entries will be judged by leading names from film, television, stunts, music and sport, with the winners honoured at our Golden Age of Hollywood Gala Awards Event.
Open to filmmakers worldwide.
Short films up to 15 minutes may be submitted through FilmFreeway. Silent, visually driven and minimal dialogue films are especially encouraged, although dialogue is permitted with an emphasis on strong visual storytelling.
Accessibility & Diversity
Film should be for everyone. Penistone Film Festival champions diverse voices, new filmmakers and stories told beyond language. Our programme includes dialogue-free and minimal-dialogue films, BSL interpretation, relaxed and sensory-friendly screenings, and free tickets for carers. From students and first-time filmmakers to established creatives from around the world, we are working to make cinema more welcoming, inclusive and accessible both on screen and in the audience.
Supported by Film Hub North
Penistone Film Festival is proud to be supported by Film Hub North for a second year, with BFI National Lottery funding helping us bring distinctive, accessible cinema to audiences across Penistone and South Yorkshire. Our inaugural festival was featured in Film Hub North’s 2025 round-up, and their continued support is helping us return in 2026 with an even bigger programme of screenings, live events and opportunities for filmmakers.
Read HereFestival Gallery
Explore unforgettable moments from Penistone Film Festival.
Our Sponsors
Penistone Film Festival is proudly supported by organisations, businesses and community partners who help make the festival possible.
