Slapstick Festival 2026

Adolphe Menjou plays the impeccably dressed but somewhat wayward husband of a socialite (Florence Vidor) whose teenage daughter (Betty Bronson) schemes to reunite her estranged parents.

A joyful triple bill celebrating 1928, the second year of Laurel & Hardy’s partnership, and the moment when their distinctive comic rhythm, friendship and finely tuned partnership truly took shape.

A rare opportunity to see one of Buster Keaton’s most surprising and charming sound features, a 1934 French production co-starring the lovely Paulette Dubost.

Irreverent, subversive and gloriously funny, The Bank Dick (1940) remains one of W.C. Fields’ greatest comedies – and a perfect gateway into Slapstick’s ongoing exploration of faith, morality and rebellion in screen humour. 

Continuing Slapstick’s opening-day exploration of comedy, faith and irreverence, this special double-bill presents two silent-era masterpieces that find humour and humanity in the search for redemption.

Exploring the uneasy line between humour and heresy, join Slapstick for a riotous 25th-anniversary screening of South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999), Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s outrageous, sharp-witted musical satire that took the world by storm.

Adolphe Menjou dazzles as sharp-tongued editor Walter Burns in Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur’s landmark newsroom satire.

In A Gentleman of Paris (1927), Menjou stars as a suave boulevardier whose philandering ways finally catch up with him in this stylish and witty romantic farce.

This specially curated programme of short comedies showcases Fazenda at her riotous best, including: Her Torpedoed Love (1917) and Heart and Flowers (1919).

The Infinite Moneky Cage's Robin Ince and a special guest have selected two of their favourite Laurel & Hardy shorts, both newly restored and screened in pristine condition — the titles to be revealed on the night.

A witty and stylish comedy, Olive Thomas plays a small-town schoolgirl who ventures to an elite finishing school and discovers the excitement and complications of independence, flirtation and fun.

In this screening and discussion, film historian Pam Hutchinson and comedian, actor Lucy Porter celebrate some of these overlooked acts inspired by Laurel & Hardy.

Our Hospitality brings action movie thrills to a high-stakes comedy of manners, with extravagant period costumes, dramatic landscapes, and some classic Keaton railroad stunts leading to a truly breathtaking climax.

A rare opportunity to experience one of Yasujirō Ozu’s most captivating early silent comedies on the big screen.

Natasha Lyonne plays Megan, a wholesome all-American girl whose picture-perfect life implodes when her parents suspect she’s gay and ship her off to “True Directions,” a pastel-coloured conversion camp run by the hilariously zealous Cathy Moriarty, with RuPaul as the reformed ex-gay counsellor in high heels.

Join us for a special screening of Atoll K (Utopia), presented in a brand-new BFI restoration that returns Laurel & Hardy’s final feature to its original clarity and charm.

In a city of humanoid animals, a hustling theatre impresario's attempt to save his theatre with a singing competition becomes grander than he anticipates even as its finalists find that their lives will never be the same.