Bucks County FilmFest Moves to the Newtown Theatre This Saturday
Bucks Co. & Beyond Daily
Bucks Co. & Beyond Daily
by Nick Rau
On Saturday morning, the theater billed as America's oldest continuously operating movie theater will roll film that, in some cases, has never been shown on a big screen before. The 26th annual Bucks County FilmFest takes over the Newtown Theatre at 120 N. State St. on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, with doors at 10:30 a.m. and a program that runs until the awards ceremony at 6 p.m. It's the festival's first year at its new home after its run at the County Theater in Doylestown, and it brings 25 juried short films from high school, college and emerging filmmakers with ties to the region.
That move matters for more than a change of address. The Newtown Theatre began in 1831 as a town hall and free church, was rebuilt in 1883, and showed its first movie in 1906, footage of the San Francisco earthquake, which is why it bills itself as the country's oldest continuously operating movie theater. Festival organizers told Patch the house was recently renovated and is accessible, and festival director Brad Sanders summed up the room simply: "there's no bad seat in the house." So a festival built around first-time filmmakers now lands in a building that has been hosting Newtown's crowds for nearly two centuries, which feels about right.
The day is organized into three screening blocks of short films, each followed by a Q&A, with films running from two to 22 minutes across narrative, documentary, animation, music video and experimental work. Sanders told Patch the festival received 172 submissions this year, chose 25 for the theater and another 25 for its virtual program. The lineup ranges from an animated comedy called "A Big Foot Christmas" to a few suspenseful Halloween shorts and some heavier dramas, so there's a good mix whether you're coming for laughs or for something with weight.
Between the screenings, eight actors from the Newtown Arts Company and a guest narrator will perform a live table read of the top four scripts from the festival's screenwriting competition, which is a fun way to see a movie before it exists. Later in the afternoon, award-winning filmmaker Robert May, director of the PBS docuseries "Bucks County, USA," sits down for a panel on how he produces and directs a series filmed right here. Audience members also get a vote in the Fan Favorite award, so staying for all three blocks actually gives you a say.
"For some of these young filmmakers it will be the first time their work will be shown on the big screen." Brad Sanders, festival director, to Patch
According to the Newtown Theatre and Patch, the day runs like this:
A $40 general admission ticket covers the screenings, the table read, the panel and the awards, and it includes virtual access too. Tickets are sold online at BucksCountyFilmFest.com and at the door, and the festival's information line is (215) 431-7566. During intermission, Sanders said guests are invited across the street to Second Sin Taproom, and an after-party is planned at the Green Parrot, so the whole day stays walkable in the middle of town.
The festival streams its official online selections starting Oct. 17, and the films screened in the theater will also be available to watch virtually the day after, according to Patch. That makes it easy to catch a filmmaker you missed or to cheer on a local student from the couch on Sunday. If you do go in person, give yourself time to wander State Street between blocks, because downtown Newtown is at its best on a crisp October afternoon.
When is the Bucks County FilmFest in 2026? The 26th annual Bucks County FilmFest is Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, at the Newtown Theatre, 120 N. State St., Newtown, PA. Doors open at 10:30 a.m., screenings start at 11:15 a.m., and the awards ceremony is at 6 p.m.
How much are Bucks County FilmFest tickets? A general admission ticket is $40 and covers the screenings, the screenwriting table read, the panel discussion with Robert May and the awards ceremony, plus virtual access. Tickets are sold online at BucksCountyFilmFest.com and at the door.
Is the Newtown Theatre really the oldest movie theater in the US? The Newtown Theatre, built as a town hall in 1831 and rebuilt in 1883, showed its first film in 1906 and has shown movies ever since. It bills itself as America's oldest continuously operating movie theater, and the claim has been widely reported, including by CBS Philadelphia.
Spending the day in Newtown? My Newtown neighborhood guide covers the town beyond the theater, and you can browse the rest of my Bucks County town guides.
I love that a festival for first-time filmmakers now runs in a hall that's been gathering Newtown together since 1831. I'm Nick Rau, President of Sales with the Rarity Real Estate Team, ranked in the Top 1% of agents nationally (RealTrends 2025, individual), with more than 135 Google reviews, and I live right here in Bucks County.
Rarity Real Estate Team, 1100 N Delaware Ave Suite A, Philadelphia, PA 19125 · (215) 593-7498 · [email protected]
Questions about Newtown or Bucks County? Call (215) 593-7498 or email [email protected].
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Featured photo: the Newtown Theatre, 120 N. State St., Newtown, PA, November 2013. Photo (cropped): Newtowntheatre, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Sources: Patch, "Bucks County FilmFest To Showcase New And Emerging Talent," Oct. 14, 2026 (lineup, submissions, table read, panel, tickets, schedule, quotes); Patch, "Tickets Now On Sale For 26th Annual Bucks County FilmFest," Sept. 23, 2026; The Newtown Theatre, 26th Annual Bucks County FilmFest (date, address, schedule, Fan Favorite vote); Bucks County FilmFest, Ticket Information; The Newtown Theatre, History; The Reporter, March 16, 2022; CBS Philadelphia, CBS3 SummerFest.
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