The Pocket Film Festival is returning later this month with films, archive footage and live musical performances taking place across Stafford and the surrounding area.
Running from Friday 25 September to Sunday 4 October, the 2026 festival will bring pop-up cinema to libraries, theatres, community venues and other locations across Staffordshire. Several of this year’s events are taking place in Stafford, Stone, Acton Trussell and Eccleshall.
Stafford’s history on film
Two free archive screenings will run throughout much of the festival.
Salt in Stafford will be shown at Baswich Library from Friday 25 September until Saturday 3 October during library opening hours. The Staffordshire Film Archive production looks back at the town’s former salt industry through the memories of people who worked in it, including the salt works at Stafford Common and Baswich.
At Stafford Library, visitors will also be able to watch In and Around Stafford 1964 for free between 25 September and 3 October. The silent amateur film, made by Stafford filmmaker Reg Stoddard, includes footage of Stafford’s 1964 carnival with decorated floats from local employers including English Electric and Lotus Shoes. It will be shown intermittently on the library screen during opening hours.
Live piano performance in Stone
The festival begins on Friday 25 September with a screening of John Ford’s silent western Three Bad Men at Crown Wharf Theatre in Stone from 7.30pm.
The film will be accompanied by a live piano performance from Meg Morley, a house pianist for the British Film Institute who has regularly performed at the Pocket Film Festival.
Families can return to Stone the following morning for a free screening of Dog Man at Stone Library. The PG-rated animated film begins at 11am on Saturday 26 September, with places available to reserve directly through the library.
The Christophers at Stafford Gatehouse
The Christophers will be shown at Stafford Gatehouse Theatre at 7.30pm on Tuesday 29 September.
Directed by Steven Soderbergh, the comedy drama stars Sir Ian McKellen and Michaela Coel, alongside James Corden and Jessica Gunning. The story follows a skilled forger hired to complete the unfinished paintings of an ageing artist in an attempt to secure an inheritance. The film is rated 15 and, unlike some of the festival’s free library screenings, this is a paid ticketed event.
Rye Lane comes to Unit Twelve
Rye Lane will be screened at Unit Twelve Gallery from 7pm on Wednesday 30 September.
The 15-rated romantic comedy follows Yas and Dom, two people recovering from break-ups who meet during an eventful day in South London. Tickets are available in advance for the screening.
Staffordshire’s past at Acton Trussell
Local history will return to the big screen on Friday 2 October when Staffordshire Film Archive presents Who Do We Think We Are? at Acton Trussell Community Centre from 7pm.
Professor Ray Johnson MBE will host the screening and talk, which features archive footage covering Stafford and the surrounding area. The programme includes Stafford Railway Station in the 1940s, the Staffordshire Hunt at Seighford Hall in 1934, English Electric, Lotus Shoes, Stafford’s salt industry, Cannock Chase and the construction of the Stafford bypass.
Family screening at Baswich Library
Families can watch the award-winning animated film Song of the Sea at Baswich Library from 5pm to 7pm on Saturday 3 October.
The PG-rated film is inspired by Irish folklore and follows Ben and his younger sister Saoirse on an adventure involving mythical creatures and the spirit world. Tickets for the family screening are available from £2 to £6.
The screening is one of two family films being promoted by Staffordshire Libraries as part of the National Year of Reading, alongside Dog Man in Stone.
Festival finishes in Eccleshall
The festival will finish on Sunday 4 October at Holy Trinity Church in Eccleshall with a special centenary screening of F. W. Murnau’s Faust.
The silent film will begin at 7.30pm and feature live organ accompaniment from Darius Battiwalla, who has previously performed at the Pocket Film Festival and regularly accompanies silent films on both piano and organ.
The Pocket Film Festival is supported by Film Hub Midlands using National Lottery funding. The wider programme also includes screenings and activities elsewhere in Staffordshire between 25 September and 4 October.
View the full Pocket Film Festival programme and booking information
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