We return to the beautiful setting of Holy Trinity Church, Eccleshall for our final screening of the 2026 Pocket Film Festival. To close this year's festival, we will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of F. W. Murnau’s ‘FAUST’ with live organ accompaniment provided by Darius Battiwalla.

Based on motifs from the folk legend as well as the dramatization by Christopher Marlowe and J. W.Goethe, FAUST tells the story of the scholar Faust, who is tempted by Mephisto. In an argument with the archangel Gabriel, Mephisto had claimed that he could lead any man astray from the path of God. In order to tempt the old Faust, Mephisto has the country ravaged by the plague. The dying people implore Faust for help. When he receives no help from God despite his prayers, he seeks advice from the devil.

The film will be accompanied by a live musical performance on the organ by Darius Battiwalla. In the last few years Darius has been increasingly in demand as a silent film accompanist on both organ and piano.  After a sell-out performance of Nosferatu in 2009 at the Sheffield Festival, he has accompanied Phantom of the Opera, The Cabinet of Dr Caligari, and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde on the organ, and on the piano has played for the premieres of the newly restored Helen of Four Gates. He has also regularly performed at the Pocket Film Festival, most recently in 2025 with a performance of Alfred Hitchcock’s Blackmail.

Faust "A film from the holdings of the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung (www.murnau-stiftung.de) in Wiesbaden."

The Pocket Film Festival activities have been made possible with support from Film Hub Midlands through funds from the National Lottery. Film Hub Midlands support people to watch, show, and make films in the Midlands.