The 2026 Selection
Seventy six projects were selected for Stafford Film Festival 2026 from 235 submissions. Seventeen of them screen at the Mitchell Arts Centre in Stoke on Trent on Sunday 6 September, and this page tells you what each one is, who made it, how long it runs and when you can see it.
The afternoon runs as three programmes with two intervals. One ticket admits you to the whole day. Doors 12:45.
Programme One, 13:00 to 14:20
Introduction to the festival
13:00 · 10:00 · live on stage
The day opens with a short welcome from the festival: what the Stafford Film Festival is, how the afternoon runs, when the intervals and the filmmaker question and answer sessions happen, and when the awards are presented.
Xmas Box
13:10 · 1:00 · directed by Adriana Mourelle · United Kingdom · Drama, Romance
Erin must make amends with Dan in this 60-second Christmas story
Adriana Mourelle is a Spanish filmmaker, writer, and actress based in Birmingham. With a background in theatre, she has developed a diverse portfolio, from writing and producing plays for young audiences to creating short films. Her work as a writer has been supported by organizations…
Statue in the Garden
13:11 · 7:38 · directed by Qianhui Yu · United Kingdom · Animation, Drama, Fantasy, Female Director
Didi moves into an unkempt house in the British city of Stoke-on-Trent. Whilst feeling ill at ease in this unfamiliar environment, she comes across a curious statue in the garden. This enchanting object helps Didi to appreciate the heritage of her new neighbourhood through an unexpected journey back in time.
Qianhui is an animation director and illustration artist based in Stoke-on-Trent, UK. In 2020, she directed and animated short film ‘Wastopia’, as her Royal College of Art MA Animation graduation project. It premiered at Nowness Asia 2020, and was selected for the BFI Future Film…
Philip Hardaker: Sculptured to Speak
13:18 · 10:01 · directed by Henry John Sedgley · United Kingdom · Drama
This documentary explores the life and work of sculptor Philip Hardaker, an artist who uses mosaic sculptures to convey powerful narratives about global events and human struggles. Through his art, Hardaker reflects on themes such as war, various social issues and modern crises . The film delves into the decline of Stoke-on-Trent’s once-thriving ceramic industry.
Henry Sedgley is a filmmaker and aspiring cinematographer based in Staffordshire. His work focuses primarily on documentary filmmaking, with a particular interest in people, their stories and creative processes. Henry makes his festival directorial debut with Philip Hardaker: Sculptured to Speak, which follows mosaic sculptor…
The Big Bad Wolf
13:28 · 5:00 · directed by Leo William Wright · United Kingdom
After discovering the power of the humble brick, pigs forged ahead into the industrial revolution building houses, factories and shops to wolf-proof their lives. This is the story about a little piggie named Richmond who befriends a not-so-big bad wolf named Billy, much to the outrage of his father. Set in the Black Country, this film is about friendship, inclusivity and not judging a wolf by its cover. “The Big…
Leo Wright is multi-award winning stop motion filmmaker – recently having been shortlisted for the Sony Future Filmmaker Awards. Leo has been developing his film production skills at Aardman as part of their In-Studio Training Course. Leo had to go through an intense selection process…
Just A Wish Away
13:33 · 16:14 · directed by Stephen Peers · United Kingdom
Two friends who clearly have feelings for each other struggle to build up the courage to ask the other to the prom. When something gets in the way, their priorities are put to the test.
Stephen Peers was born and raised in the North West before moving down to Portsmouth to study Film Production. Before moving to University, he had very little film experience – he was studying Cyber Security the year before. He changed his whole career path to…
Director Stephen Peers will be at the screening.
Murder For Dummies: Victim
13:49 · 22:42 · directed by J.W. Roberts · United Kingdom · Comedy, Horror, Mock-Doc, Murder mystery, Whodunnit, Thriller, Dark comedy
Back in the nineties, ventriloquism was bigger than the Spice Girls and Princess Diana put together… …you remember that, right? Of course you do. It definitely happened. When beloved British ventriloquist Keith Flapp was found murdered in his West End dressing room in 1999, it devastated the nation. Today, a documentary filmmaker tries to solve the case… but wait: does EVERYONE she’s interviewing have a motive? MURDER FOR DUMMIES…
J.W. Roberts has more than fifteen years’ experience as a director, editor and VFX artist. He has partnered with award-winning comedy troupe Casual Violence for over a decade, creating acclaimed horror-comedy short films including BEAR HUGS, LOST IN THE POST and THE GROT IN THE…
Interval
A relaxed question and answer with the filmmakers who are with us, in the bar rather than on a stage.
Programme Two, 14:40 to 16:00
An Alternate Pond
14:40 · 10:28 · directed by C. Thomas Lewis · United States
A man takes his boat out on a pond. A conversation with a fish becomes a meditation on the lives we didn’t live. Surreal imagery blurs the line between waking and dream as the film explores regret, aging, and the search for peace within the only life we have.
C. Thomas Lewis is a filmmaker, photographer, installation artist, and Teaching Professor at Indiana University’s Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering, where he directs the Media Arts and Science program in Indianapolis. He holds an MFA from the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts)…
Brown Sheep
14:50 · 12:42 · directed by Konna Thomson · United Kingdom · in English
Sixteen year old Jamila navigates adolescence and confidence in her natural hair while remembering her mother, at a school where almost nobody looks like her. A student film from Manchester Film School, an official selection at the Manchester Film Festival and a special commendation at the RTS North West Student Awards.
Konna Thomson is a director and video editor based in Stafford, drawn to documentary and character driven films that capture honest, human moments. Brown Sheep was written from a place of trying to articulate the isolation that comes from not seeing anyone who looks like you in your surroundings or in the media.
Director Konna Thomson will be at the screening.
Safety Net
15:03 · 14:48 · directed by Alfie Beard · United Kingdom · Drama, Sport
A young working-class boy discovers his talent as a goalkeeper, guided by his passionate father. But after years of sacrifice, he faces the brutal reality of professional football—where talent alone isn’t always enough. Football is more than a sport—it’s a dream for millions. But what happens when the dream doesn’t go as planned? “Safety Net” is a deeply personal and universally relatable story about love, dedication, and the harsh realities…
Alfie Beard is an award-winning British director, editor, and producer recognized for his sharp visual storytelling, highlighted by his breakthrough award-winning short film Safety Net (2025). Operating as the Creative Director of Kit Lens Media in Staffordshire, England, Beard has built a reputation for handling…
The Last Call
15:17 · 15:44 · directed by Bailey Mowatt · United Kingdom · Drama
The Last Call follows a day in the life of Jonathan, an isolated man grappling with emotional and financial turmoil. Aimless and burdened by his own self-destructive behaviour, Jonathan drifts from place to place in search for meaning. Desperate for connection, he reaches out to one-time friend Pete, who once represented everything good in his life before their relationship fell apart. As the two open old wounds, certain truths and…
Director Bailey Mowatt will be at the screening with a guest.
Shut your trap!
15:33 · 1:00 · directed by Luis Ramos · Mexico · drama, social, satire · in Spanish
A young girl watches as the adults who lecture her about morality justify everyday bribery, theft, and abuse through silence. In a world where staying quiet is the rule, corruption isn’t questioned — it’s learned.
Luis Ramos is a Mexican audiovisual creator with a degree in Communication Studies from the Universidad Autónoma de Occidente. His work moves between fiction, documentary, and one-minute films, focusing on emotionally driven stories and strong narrative concepts. His short film Día de Suerte won the…
Hell
15:34 · 5:00 · directed by Parker Croft · United States · Sci-Fi, Drama
A place where dreams are real, wishes come true, and everything is always awful for everyone. The first installment of the Hard Times anthology, Hell, follows the patriarch of a dying farm on the outskirts of Ash Harbor as he is methodically ground down by the machinery of despair. What begins as endurance curdles into something far more existential, a portrait of collapse told through dust, labor, and silence. Hell…
Parker Croft is an American director and screenwriter known for his portrayal of flawed, conflicted characters and his exploration of themes like mortality and love through a bold, voyeuristic visual style. His most recent short film, As Easy As Closing Your Eyes (2024), has earned…
Burger Dude: The Burginning
15:39 · 15:04 · directed by Jackson Chaddock · United Kingdom · Surreal Comedy, Comedy, Superhero, Action Comedy, Sci-Fi, Black Comedy, Satire
Local grumpy and short-tempered superhero, Burger Dude must attend a college and get a degree in order to keep his superhero license due to a new city law, where it is now mandatory to have an education. He must navigate and balance his life through the surreal chaos of college and superhero duties.
Jackson Chaddock is a 2D illustrator and animator based in the UK, whose directorial debut was the adult animated pilot, ‘Burger Dude’ at the University of Staffordshire, it was also one of six projects greenlit at the University out of a class of twenty-four. The…
Director Jackson Chaddock will be at the screening.
Parental guidance. The last two films in this programme contain strong language and adult humour. They are placed at the end of the block, immediately before the interval, so families with younger children can step out.
Interval
A relaxed question and answer with the filmmakers who are with us, in the bar rather than on a stage.
Programme Three, 16:20 to 17:40
Petrol Head
16:20 · 14:59 · directed by Patrick Swain and Jasper Frost · United Kingdom · Drama, Coming-of-Age, Action, Racing, British
Trapped again in his isolated hometown, Jake, struggling with anxiety and agoraphobia, must make a choice. A choice between the safety of a life he used to know, of standing still, or the danger of a high stakes rally club with his friend Yas. An alternative coming-of-age film that deals with mental illness, finding your drive again, and cars going very, very fast.
Patrick Swain writes for stage and screen and trained at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Jasper Frost is a director of stage and screen who trained at Mountview. Together they run the creative company Caged Bird.
Largo
16:34 · 18:59 · directed by Salvatore Scarpa and Max Burgoyne-Moore · United Kingdom · Drama, Adventure · in Arabic, English
A young Syrian refugee, struggling to feel at home in the UK without his parents, resorts to building a boat and attempting to sail home to find them.
Salvatore Scarpa & Max Burgoyne-Moore have been a filmmaking duo for 10 years, but they first met 20 years ago when they attended the same high school. They’re based in London and run the production company Studio Goodluck.
The Land We Fight For
16:53 · 39:17 · directed by Dimitri Nasennik · Estonia · in Estonian, Ukrainian
Two farmers from the former Soviet republics of Ukraine and Estonia volunteer for the Ukrainian army, determined their countries will never be occupied again.
Dimitri was born in Estonia to a Ukrainian family and spent much of his life visiting my grandparents in the Chernihiv region of Ukraine. Dimitri hold a master degree in civil engineering. He had directed three fiction short films and one short documentary. In 2023…
A representative of the director will be at the screening.
Also selected
These projects were selected in 2026 but are not part of the 6 September programme. Screening slots are limited by the length of the day, and every one of these films and scripts came through the same selection process.
1000 O, Barbara Peikert, Switzerland, Experimental Film, 7:00
8 seconds, Jean-Marie Vinclair, France, Feature Documentary Film, 78:56
Alone Across Gola, Jude Kriwald, United Kingdom, Short Documentary Film, 20:00
Chairman, Studio 011, South Korea, AI Film, 6:02
Collector of Sounds, RUPERT MILES, United Kingdom, Feature Script, 90 Pages
DOMESTIC, Jake Spence Barnes, United Kingdom, First Time Filmmaker, 13:01
Doomsday 2000, Harrisen Lysaght, Australia, Student Animation Film, 1:58
East London Western, George Gifkins, United Kingdom, Short Script, 20 Pages
Ema Leland, Yu Numata, Japan, Animation Film, 29:57
Finnick, Denis Chernov, United Arab Emirates, Animation Film, 90:00
GALAR, Niall Duffy, Ireland, Short Film, 25:00
Gentle, Alex Naghavi, United States, AI Film, 4:27
GOING LONG, VASILII MOZZHUKHIN, Italy, Feature Documentary Film, 81:54
Gourmanium, Benjamin Sitton, United Kingdom, First Time Filmmaker, 13:56
Grappling Grace, Alexander Kiehl, Misha Novak, United Kingdom, Short Documentary Film, 20:00
Growing Inwards, Shuhan Liao, Xiangrong Wen, Anping Zuo, China, AI Film, 3:21
Grown Up, Louis Leivers, United Kingdom, One Minute Film, 1:00
HOW DO YOU KNOW?, Debra Gussin, United States, Original Song / Soundtrack, 0:00
I Am Gitxsan, Hossein Martin Fazeli, Canada, Feature Documentary Film, 64:17
INSIDE THE MAZE, Arthur Mikheev, AI Film, 3:00
Internal Embers, Alec Tufenkjian, United States, Student Animation Film, 4:57
Invincible, Emma Croft, United Kingdom, Feature Film, 109:00
Lab Partners, Tommy Britt, United States, Short Script, 16 Pages
Mags and Julie Go On A Road Trip, Ryann Liebl, United States, Feature Film, 127:00
Marionette (Ava Della Pietra – official music video), Nathan Levine-Heaney, United States, Music / Performance Video, 2:44
Orage (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), Jordan Paul Rousseau, Original Song / Soundtrack, 9:52
Party Games, Alfie Beard, United Kingdom, Staffordshire Filmmaker, 15:00
Penalty, Ivan Francisco Barrera, Mexico, Feature Documentary Film, 40:03
Prayer of the Sea, Martin Gerigk, Germany, Experimental Film, 6:30
Push The Machine, Max Ward, Australia, France, United Kingdom, First Time Filmmaker, 14:15
Puny Humans, Samuel Joseph Williams, Timothy James Williams, United Kingdom, Short Animation Film, 3:37
Rave Culture – a new era –, Eduardo Cubillo Blasco, Spain, Feature Documentary Film, 87:00
RED BALLOON, Renzo Djordan, Original Song / Soundtrack, 3:51
Salem Not Salem, Omar Farooq, Bahrain, Short Film, 28:05
Salt & Pepper, Gunjan Dere, India, Student Animation Film, 3:30
Say It With Music, Christopher James Culberson, Short Script, 12 Pages
Single for Life (Ava Della Pietra – official music video), Luke Orlando, United States, Music / Performance Video, 3:54
Sky-Sky, Ilya Noyabrev, Ukraine, Music / Performance Video, 3:13
Spades, Johnny Yong Bosch, United States, Feature Film, 115:36
STARZ, Bryan Huynh, Original Song / Soundtrack, 3:51
Strolling Down Brighton Pier, Zach Stevens, United Kingdom, Music / Performance Video, 4:58
Substance of Venom, Cherie Sampson, United States, Experimental Film, 8:43
Tesseract, Gracie Safranovich, Canada, Student Animation Film, 6:35
The Archangel Of Colorado, Matty Mahoney, United Kingdom, Feature Script, 91 Pages
The Cart of Absence and the Apple Tree, Ozjan Yeshar, Saudi Arabia, Short Script, 14 Pages
The Farm, Craig Urquhart, Canada, Feature Script, 113 Pages
The Headmaster, FelixJames McEnroy, Feature Script, 92 Pages
The Intention Invention, R.J. Sullivan, United States, Short Animation Film, 4:33
The Last Impression, Milan Büttner, Germany, Switzerland, Short Documentary Film, 29:37
The last Track, Oscar Sanchez, Venezuela, AI Film, 1:24
The Liars of Black Mountain Road, Parker Croft, United States, Short Film, 12:30
The Missing Part, Marv Hathim, Netherlands, Student Short Film, 12:02
The Night and Gail, Benjamin Justin Ehnert, United States, Feature Film, 90:00
The Threshold, Jacek Kadaj, Poland, AI Film, 8:00
The Village It Took, Victoria Wilcox, United States, Student Short Film, 15:00
The Visionaries, Simon Jones, Kayleee Nicholas, United Kingdom, Short Script, 20 Pages
To The End, Ruiying Sun, United States, Student Short Film, 13:30
Underneath, Matthew James Bissett-Johnson, Australia, Short Animation Film, 2:24
VIGILANTE (2026), Luke Hanlon, Feature Script, 100 Pages
Wake Up Call, Kai Movagh, David Woulard, United States, Short Animation Film, 4:20
Tickets
Tickets are sold by the Mitchell Arts Centre. Adults £8.00, concessions, seniors and children aged 5 to 15 £6.00. One ticket covers all three programmes.
Award winners are announced on the day.