The running order for the 6 September screening

When we confirmed the Mitchell Arts Centre we promised to publish the running order once the programme was finalised. Here it is.

Sunday 6 September is built as three separate programmes rather than one long sitting. Each programme is a self contained selection of short films with a short introduction from the festival team, and there are two intervals so nobody is stuck in a seat for four hours. One ticket admits you to the whole afternoon.

The running order

Doors 12:45

Programme One
13:00 to 14:20

Interval
14:20 to 14:40

Programme Two
14:40 to 16:00

Interval
16:00 to 16:20

Programme Three
16:20 to 17:40

Each programme runs 80 minutes, so the afternoon carries a little over three and a half hours of film in total. The Spitfire Cafe bar at the Mitchell will be open during the intervals.

What is in the programmes

Every film is drawn from the 2026 official selection: independent short work from filmmakers across the UK and from further afield, chosen by our jury from this year submissions. The three programmes are grouped so that each one stands on its own, which means you can come for one and stay for three, or arrive later in the afternoon and still see a complete programme.

The full film by film line up for each programme will be published here shortly, along with the printed programme for the day.

Tickets

Tickets are handled by the Mitchell Arts Centre box office and will go on sale shortly. We will update this post and announce it on our channels the moment they are live. One ticket covers all three programmes and the seating is reserved, so you will choose your seat when you book.

Getting there and parking

The Mitchell Arts Centre is on Broad Street in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, ST1 4HG. There is no car park at the venue itself, but there is free parking at the Tesco Extra on Clough Street just behind it. We have written up exactly what to do on arrival in our earlier post on parking.

Access

The auditorium has step free wheelchair spaces on the lower level, with step free access to the box office, the bar and the toilets. If you have an access requirement, tell the box office when you book or get in touch with us and we will make sure it is arranged in advance.

Volunteering

We are still building the team for the day, front of house and behind the camera. If you would like to be part of it, our volunteering page has the details.

We will keep this post updated as the line up and ticket details are confirmed.