Comments, Quotes & Reviews

Comments, Quotes & Reviews from:

Phill Jupitus, Mat Whitecross: co-director of The Road to Guantanamo, Venue Magazine, BBCi, Bristol Evening Post, The Rough Guide, The Times, The Sunday Times, Legal Week, The Guardian, Mark Kermode: Journalist and Film Critic, British Film Institute, The Film Council, Joe Magee: Illustrator &: Filmmaker, David Sproxton: Aardman Animations, Lord Puttnam, Lonely Planet Guide

Phill Jupitus: special guest at Trumptonshire Tales

"the staff and the vibe at the Watershed are what keeps me coming back... i can't thank them all enough..." Phill Jupitus.

Mat Whitecross: co-director of The Road to Guantanamo

"Thank you so much for looking after me and the boys [The Tipton Three] last night. I think it was the best response we've had in UK. What a great venue and audience." Mat Whitecross.

Venue

".. a packed and overwhelmingly appreciative audience.. attended the Watershed's preview of Gavin Hood's Oscar-winning (Best Foreign Language Film) 'Tsotsi' back in January. The following morning, he's still exhilarated. 'That was the best audience we've had so far,' he enthuses. 'We had a stimulating, exciting debate.'"

BBCi

"Bristol's favourite waterside arts centre and venue. Whether you use it as a cinema, a bar, an exhibition space or just somewhere to meet friends for lunch, the Watershed has been part of the city's 'scene' for years. A little bit arty, a little bit funky, it mirrors Bristol's own diverse personality."

Bristol Evening Post

"Britain’s first built media centre opened in 1982 at a time when the first shoots of Bristol’s now blooming media industry began to break ground and 20 years on, Watershed enjoys an international reputation. As its popularity grows, so must Watershed."

"Watershed is the South West’s leading media centre for the digital age, providing opportunities for all to experience, enjoy and learn about contemporary moving image media."

"So the Watershed has come of age. But it’s hard to imagine what Bristol was like without it. It is so much a part of the creative, social and arts scene in the city. For so long its been the place to go, the place to be seen, the place to meet and the place to enjoy good film and challenging exhibitions. It’s been such a familiar part of the city’s landscape for the past two decades that we have come to take it for granted. But more than that we have often overlooked its importance as a centre of innovation."

Tony Robinson said: "For me, the Watershed has always been slap bang in the middle of Bristol’s social and cultural life and it’s a great that younger generations now feel the same."

"… one of Bristol’s most popular and well-loved venues, with an exceptionally large cross-section of the city using it."

Pete Postlethwaite says, “I love the philosophy of a venue like the Watershed, it makes really exciting projects available to a varied public. That’s what I like about it, it goes across the age ranges, across the intellectual gap, it’s such a cosmopolitan place. They’re adventurous and they try things.”

The Rough Guide

"New technology, the arts and a vibrant youth culture have helped to make this one of Britain's most cutting edge cities."

Paul Merton interviewed in The Times

"Chris Daniels’s Bristol Silents programmes at the Watershed Media Centre give audiences regular opportunities to see the silent classics properly. It has taken us a long time, though, to set up this weekend’s Bristol Slapstick Festival, which was first mooted three years ago when I presented a programme about Keaton at the Watershed. We were very encouraged by a full house and a strong response – particularly to Keaton’s great two-reeler The Goat. That’s where the festival idea took root, and we can be pretty sure that that audience will be coming back."

The Sunday Times

"Brilliant...Electric December... collaboration between Bath and Bristol’s creative communities and local schools and businesses...each page is achingly stylish."

Legal Week

"The South West is leading the way with a new focus on collaborations between technology and arts organisations. Previously these were separate and very different sectors; now, many organisations are crossing the technology/artistic divide, using trusted organisations such as Watershed Media Centre in Bristol as a facilitator."

The Guardian

"Bristol marries new technology and creativity with its industrial heritage – Watershed Media Centre reflects the city’s reputation as a media capital".

"Watershed in Bristol has an especially lively and ambitious programme of new media art."

Mark Kermode, Film Critic & Journalist

"Watershed is one of the most culturally upbeat and lively venues in the UK."

British Film Institute

"Watershed is not only a regional model of excellence, but a venue of national importance to which cinema programmers and venue directors across Britain can look for inspiration."

The Film Council

"There are few venues I can think of that are as proactive on the future of Cinema and New Media as the Watershed. It’s a great place for the industry."

Joe Magee: Illustrator & Filmmaker

"Watershed was actually the main reason I relocated to Bristol... The word I always come back to with Watershed is ‘meritocracy’. As an institution it is so removed from the impenetrable workings of the art world. It really does feel open, welcoming and fresh."

David Sproxton, Managing Director of Aardman Animations

"For many of us at Aardman going to Watershed is like dropping in to see a neighbour; we've seen so much, done so much, eaten so much, drunk so much, met so many people, had so much fun and of course shown so much. We must have worn out at least a couple of seats, so here's a new one!"

Lord Puttnam, CBE

"The city is renowned for pioneering leading edge technologies and is one of the most dynamic centres for the creative industries in the UK. With Bristol University's world class computer science and education teams, and with the University of the West of England's E-incubator next door to Watershed, they are in a unique position to collaborate and build relationships with a wide range of partners."

Lonely Planet Guide

"Without doubt, the coolest city in the South West."