Pen*stone Film Festival

04/09/2026

BEST STUDENT FILM FINALISTS

Three films. Three young filmmakers. One Best Student Film award at Pen*stone Film Festival 2026.

Meet this year’s finalists:

WHISTLE
Director: Varun Gangalam

STANDBY
Director: Shruthi Trichy Lakshmanan

THOUGHT LOOP
Director: Django Finn Osborne

Our Best Student Film category is being judged by Yorkshire’s own Ruby Barker, star of Bridgerton and Baghead, who will choose this year’s winner.

The order in this trailer is simply for the showcase and is not a ranking or indication of the final result.

All three films will screen in full on the big screen at the historic Pen*stone Paramount on Saturday 17 October 2026, before the winner is revealed during our Sunday Gala Awards.

Tickets are on sale now, with discounted options for students, low-income and disabled guests to help make the festival as accessible as possible.

04/09/2026

STUDENT FILM | OFFICIAL SELECTIONS

Not every Official Selection becomes a Finalist, but every one of these films has earned its place on the big screen at Pen*stone Film Festival 2026.

Our individual Best Student Film Finalists have already been announced separately. This trailer celebrates the rest of our Student Film Official Selections:

STARLET GO!

Director: Coco Butters

TELE’VISION’

Director: Joshua Savage

SECOND NATURE

Director: Phoebe Meikle

ATTACK OF THE BEAST
PQA BARNSLEY

THE CASE
PQA BARNSLEY

THE WITCH
Director: Kim Di

HOME FROM HOME
PQA Barnsley

ACEROLA

Director: Sofia Mendes Lara

THE HUMAN PYRAMID

Director: Jon Parkin

The order is not a ranking, does not indicate best to worst, and is not the final Saturday screening order.

All will screen in full at the historic Pen*stone Paramount on Saturday 17 October 2026.

Our Student Film category is judged by Yorkshire’s own Ruby Barker, star of Bridgerton and Baghead.

Watch the trailer and book tickets to join us. We have discounted options for students, low-income and disabled guests to help make the festival as accessible as possible.

OfficialSelection ShortFilm IndependentFilm YoungFilmmakers UKFilm YorkshireFilm FilmFestival Animation VFX

03/09/2026

03/09/2026

BEST PICTURE • PENISTONE FILM FESTIVAL 2026

Eight very different films. Eight filmmakers telling stories through image, movement, sound and cinema.

These are the films selected for our Best Picture judging programme, considered by our 2026 Best Picture judge Adam Sigal.

Three finalists have already been announced separately this trailer celebrates every film selected and judged within the Best Picture category.

MALORUM — Arthur Ericsson 🇺🇸
ON TIME — Jouni Hynynen 🇫🇮
PALACE — Jacob Forman & Joseph Hurt 🇺🇸
DOBRINA — Hannes Rall 🇩🇪
FINDING LOUIS LE PRINCE — James Tolcher 🇬🇧
ZANTROX AND STOCKBROKER — Ben Slotover 🇬🇧
ART DEFENDERS: WE DO NOT FORGET — Akiko Matsumoto 🇺🇸
WHERE TIME LINGERS — Owen Joiner-Hopkinson 🇬🇧

⚠️ The order shown in this trailer is NOT indicative of the festival screening blocks or running order. Full programming information will follow separately.

From experimental filmmaking and animation to forgotten cinema history and beautifully visual storytelling, this selection is exactly why we wanted to build a festival around films that prove dialogue isn’t necessary to tell a story.

📍 Pen*stone Film Festival
📅 16–18 October 2026
🎥 Pen*stone, South Yorkshire

BestPicture SilentFilm VisualStorytelling NoDialogueFilm Filmmakers UKFilmFestival YorkshireFilm SouthYorkshire Pen*stone FilmFreeway IndependentCinema

01/09/2026

🎬 OUR NEXT CONFIRMED FINALIST — THE CROSSING

“A CHANCE ENCOUNTER BY THE WATER’S EDGE CHANGES A MAN’S LIFE FOREVER.”

During a routine run along a quiet canal, a man unwittingly awakens an ancient presence.

As reality begins to unravel, he finds himself drawn into a world where something long forgotten is waiting beneath the surface.

Starring Lewis Reeves & Olivia Hespe
Written & Directed by Christian Azzola
Cinematography by Thomas Hall

🏆 Official Finalist — Best Picture
⭐ Judged by Adam Sigal

📍 Pen*stone Film Festival 2026
📅 16–18 October

Watch the trailer below 👇

01/09/2026

🎬 OUR NEXT CONFIRMED FINALIST — NOISE307

“SILENCE IS THE ONLY RULE. SOMEONE JUST BROKE IT.”

When a mysterious sound disrupts the order in a strict teacher’s classroom, the teacher expels the students one by one in an attempt to uncover the culprit.

Written & Directed by Hossein Bahari
Produced by Yousef Aghaey & Hossein Bahari

🏆 Official Finalist — Best Picture
⭐ Judged by Adam Sigal

📍 Pen*stone Film Festival 2026
📅 16–18 October

Watch the trailer

27/08/2026

FINAL CALL FOR FILM SUBMISSIONS!

If you're thinking about entering your film for our awards then make sure you submit it by **Sunday 30th August**. We have a wide range of categories covering everything from music to Minecraft to sport, and a free student category. We are also so grateful and excited to have an amazing judging panel, so don't miss out!

For more details head to www.pen*stonefilmfestival.com/ (you will be redirected to FilmFreeway to submit your film)

Our Pen*stone Sharing Shelf and poster categories will remain open for a little longer for any parents and kids who have been getting crafty and creative following RISE festival 🥳

27/08/2026

There's a fabulous programme of films on at the Pen*stone Paramount between now and the end of October including for Pen*stone Film Festival!

We have an amazing range of accessible screenings for you to experience - so whether you're a film fanatic or just want to try something new, then why not book some tickets and we'll see you there! 🎬🍿

Standard ticket prices start from £6.50 and we also offer reduced-price concession tickets and have free registered carer tickets available. You can also buy great value VIP day or weekend passes!

For more information and to book, check out our full programme on www.pen*stonefilmfestival.com (for individual screening bookings you will be redirected to the Pen*stone Paramount website)