Pen*stone Film Festival

16/07/2026

BOOK NOW: PENISTONE FILM FESTIVAL 2026

16–18 October | Pen*stone, South Yorkshire

Three days of exceptional cinema, live performance and film heritage across the historic Pen*stone Paramount and St John the Baptist Church.

Discover iconic silent films with live musical accompaniment, independent short films from around the world, special guests, filmmaker talks and immersive performances, culminating in an elegant red-carpet Awards Gala with a three-course dinner.

From landmark cinema and Buster Keaton to bold new visual storytelling, this is a film festival created for audiences who want more than an ordinary trip to the cinema.

Tickets are limited across the weekend, with particularly limited availability for the Sunday Gala.

Explore the programme and secure your place:
🎟️ www.pen*stonefilmfestival.com

Who needs Hollywood when Barnsley has Pen*stone?

Thank you to our supporters:

16/07/2026

FILMMAKERS: GET 50% OFF YOUR SUBMISSION!

Submit your silent or minimal-dialogue short film to Pen*stone Film Festival and use code:

SilentFilm

•50% off eligible categories
• Maximum runtime: 18 minutes
• Modern and classic silent filmmaking welcome
• Selected films screened 16–18 October 2026

> Regular deadline: 31 July
> Extended deadline: 31 August

Enter now via FilmFreeway and let your visuals do the talking.

13/07/2026

Join the International Buster Keaton Society in Muskegon October 2nd & 3rd, 2026, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the movie Orson Welles called "the greatest film ever made," Buster Keaton's The General!

Each year, the members of the IBKS (known affectionately as The Damfinos) present a convention loaded with one-of-a-kind experiences for both Keaton devotees and casual fans, culminating in a Roaring 20s-themed speakeasy on the stage of the historic Frauenthal Theater, a fully restored grand movie palace built in 1929!

Take a step back in time as historian Ron Pesch leads you on a walking tour of the very streets Buster strode as a boy as you explore the site of The Actor’s Colony, a home away from home for legendary Vaudeville performers!

Take part in the annual auction and maybe become a proud owner of authentic Keaton memorabilia!

See rare Keaton artifacts, including the saxophone used by Myra (Buster’s mother), “America’s First Lady Saxophonist."

And of course, enjoy our annual banquet, followed by screenings of BOTH “The General” AND “Battling Butler," accompanied LIVE on the Frauenthal Center’s historic Barton Organ by world-renowned organist Dennis Scott!

Discounted hotel rates are available through the Shoreline Inn and Convention Center Convention, and convention tickets are available NOW at https://busterkeaton.org/convention with discounts available to members of the IBKS, so why not join today? ALL are welcome to the event, so purchase your tickets today and join us for “a little dinner and a show”!

13/07/2026

Had a brilliant catch-up with Brian and the team at Pen*stone Paramount today.

Going through ticket sales, the programme, event listings and all the technical details that go into bringing films to the big screen….. …..including plenty of talk about DCPs, projection and the cinema set-up.

We may also have had a cheeky look at some of this year’s selected films… and there are some absolute gems waiting to be shared.

There is something really magic about seeing your own creation projected inside a beautiful 300+ seat historic auditorium, in the very place where generations of Pen*stone residents gathered to experience cinema for the first time, over a century ago.

Whether you are a filmmaker, a film lover, or simply looking for a wonderfully different weekend in Yorkshire, we would love you to join us.

🎬 Filmmakers: submissions are still open, so get your film entered.

🎟️ Everyone else: tickets are available now, and every ticket helps us continue building this not-for-profit festival and creating opportunities for independent filmmakers and young people.

Come and experience historic cinema, new filmmaking, live events and a proper celebration of the magic of the movies.

We cannot wait to welcome you to Pen*stone and share our beautiful town with you.

13/07/2026

11/07/2026

YOUR FILM DESERVES MORE THAN A DOWNLOAD LINK.

-It deserves an audience.
-It deserves a cinema.
-It deserves to be seen where film history has been made for over a century.

Pen*stone Film Festival 2026 isn’t an online competition or a “festival” held in a meeting room with a projector and a generic plastic trophy.

We’re an international film festival screening selected films on the big screen inside the historic Pen*stone Paramount, one of Britain’s oldest working cinemas, continuously showing films since 1914.

Your work won’t just be uploaded to a website.

It will be experienced as cinema should be.

Why submit?

Industry judges who genuinely understand filmmaking.

Your work could be judged by:

⭐ Adam Sigal – Award-winning Hollywood director (Nandor Fodor and the Talking Mongoose) – Best Picture

⭐ David Arquette – Hollywood actor and producer, judging The Buster Award on behalf of the International Buster Keaton Society.

⭐ Ruby Barker (Bridgerton) – Student Filmmaker Award

⭐ The British Stunt Register – the UK’s benchmark professional body for stunt performers – Art in Action

⭐ Andy Quin – internationally renowned composer – Music & Score

⭐ Tony Currie – Sheffield United legend – Sporting Stories

And if you’re selected…

🏛️ Your film is screened in a historic cinema.

🏆 You compete for one of our engraved antique trophies.

Not mass-produced plastic.

Not something ordered by the hundred.

A genuine piece of history that reflects the spirit of Pen*stone Film Festival.

Because if you’ve poured months—or years—into making your film, we believe the award should feel as special as the achievement.

⏳ Late Deadline: 20 July

Don’t leave your film sitting on a hard drive wondering “what if?”

Whether you’re an established filmmaker, a first-time director, a student, animator or content creator experimenting with visual storytelling, we’d love to see your work.

Submit today through FilmFreeway before the deadline. Link below….

“Every frame tells a story”

11/07/2026

Know someone aged 16+ with a passion for film, action, storytelling or creating content? This is an opportunity they won’t want to miss.

Our Action to Screen program is a unique FREE two-day training experience from Pen*stone Film Festival, delivered in partnership with the British Stunt Register.

This isn’t a lecture or a classroom course.

It’s hands-on experience where participants will work alongside film industry professionals to learn screen combat, filmmaking and storytelling before creating their own action film which can be screened at Pen*stone Film Festival 2026.

✨ Completely FREE
💷 Worth over £300 per participant
🎟️ Includes FREE entry to Pen*stone Film Festival
👥 Only 20 places available

Over two exciting days you’ll:
- Learn professional fight choreography
- Discover filmmaking techniques used by the industry
- Develop storytelling and creative skills
- Work as part of a film crew
- Create and appear in your own short action film

No experience is needed!! Just enthusiasm, imagination and a willingness to get involved.

Whether you dream of acting, directing, editing, stunt work, content creation or simply want to try something completely different, this workshop is designed to build confidence, creativity and practical skills in a fun, supportive environment.

📅 1–2 August 2026
📍 Pen*stone
👤 Designed for ages 16+ and those at the start of their creative journey.

Places are strictly limited to just 20 participants, so don’t wait. Once they’re gone, they’re gone.

Parents, if your teenager is always making TikToks, watching behind-the-scenes videos, creating content or talking about working in film one day, this could be the opportunity that inspires them to take that first step.

👉 Book your FREE place today link in the comments.

Please share this post….. you never know who might be looking for an opportunity exactly like this.

09/07/2026

Thank you Pen*stone Grammar School for sharing our FREE action to screen youth summer workshop.

In collaboration with British Stunt Register, Quest Taekwondo and supported by Barnsley Council Pen*stone Area Team

This is a once only FREE pilot program for local youth aged 16+ to learn from real Hollywood stunt pro’s, how to be a stunt artist!

Only 20 places available and ONLY for locals!

Don’t miss this phenomenal opportunity

Dear Parents, Carers and Students,