Blackmail with live musical accompaniment by Darius Battiwalla

We return to the majestic Holy Trinity Church, Eccleshall for our final screening of the 2025 Pocket Film Festival. To close this year's festival we will be celebrating the 95th anniversary of Alred Hitchcock's Blackmail with a special silent screening of the film with Darius Battiwalla providing live musical accompaniment on the organ.

Alfred Hitchcock's Blackmail is a landmark in British cinema. Released in June 1929, it was hailed as 'the first British all-talkie film'. Characteristically, Hitchcock makes flamboyant use of the new technical and aesthetic opportunities which sound offered. But the film was also released in a silent version, and to this day some critics consider this version a superior work.

The film will be accompanied by a live score 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.

For several years he played for a monthly series of films at the National Media Museum, and he makes regular appearances at the Leeds International Film Festival, and has also appeared at the Mayfield Festival, Deer Shed Festival, and many other venues throughout the UK. This year sees films in Sussex, Leeds, London and Newcastle. Darius now teaches improvisation at the Royal Academy of Music.

Darius has performed at the Pocket Film Festival a number of times, most recently at the 2021 festival when he provided silent film organ accompaniment to the original Mark of Zorro.

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.

Year of Release: 1929

Certification: 12

Runtime: 86