Autumn Festival of Ideas 2014
Please note : this season finished in Nov 2014
2014 is the tenth year of Bristol Festival of Ideas, and their packed Autumn programme has over 80 events. There are two new festivals: one looking at politics, the other at health. Their third annual Festival of Economics includes debates on housing, crime and punishment and what happens when quantitative easing comes to an end. The new Mayor's series will be looking at London, Bristol and other cities - asking how much better off Bristol might be if we controlled more of our own funds and had more powers - alongside the Mayor's annual lecture on the state of the Bristol economy.
Look out for events with leading writers, psychologists, scientists, cartoonists, graphic novelists, historians, political scientists, philosophers and more including Francis Fukuyama, Rebecca Goldstein, Walter Mischel, Jacqueline Rose, Steve Bell, John Lahr, David Mitchell, Susan Greenfield, Jonathan Powell, Jim Al-Khalili and Alice Roberts.
The Festival of Ideas Bristol 2014 programme marking the First World War culminates this Autumn with the exhibition Moved by Conflict, a free lecture series, a free book for Bristol citizens on the city at war and much more: check out bristol2014.com for more details of the full programme.
See the complete Festival of Ideas programme, including all the talks and discussions at Watershed and other venues across Bristol.
Previous screenings & events in this season
A Walk in the Sun
classified 12A Autumn Festival of Ideas 2014
A Walk in the Sun is a tribute to the American infantry campaign that followed the 1943 Salerno landings and is arguably the greatest film about the World War Two ever made.
All Quiet on the Western Front
classified PG Autumn Festival of Ideas 2014
All Quiet on the Western Front, adapted from the novel by Erich Maria Remarque, follows a group of German schoolboys talked into enlisting at the beginning of the war by their jingoistic teacher and is arguably the greatest film about the First World War ever made.
Joan Smith - Hacked Off
Autumn Festival of Ideas 2014
Joan Smith, journalist, author, free speech campaigner and now Executive Director of Hacked Off, discusses the on going campaign for a free and accountable press and the need to bring ethics back into the heart of the British press.
Robin Hambleton
Autumn Festival of Ideas 2014
Robin Hambleton, Professor of City Leadership in the Centre for Sustainable Planning and Environments, UWE provides a significant contribution to thinking on public service innovation and offers insights for anyone who wants to change urban society for the better.
The Big Parade
classified U Autumn Festival of Ideas 2014
Directed by King Vidor and adapted from the work of veteran Laurence Stallings, this silent film tells the story of an idle rich boy, played by matinee idol John Gilbert, who joins the US Army's Rainbow Division and is sent to France to fight in the First World War.
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
classified 12A Autumn Festival of Ideas 2014
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse is an epic war drama directed by Rex Ingram starring, among others, Rudolph Valentino. It had a huge cultural impact, is among the highest grossing silent films of all time. Join us for this special screening with an introduction by Kevin Brownlow.
First World War Day, Bristol 2014 and the Arts
Autumn Festival of Ideas 2014
A day of events showcasing artworks commissioned and created as part of the Bristol 2014 project. Join us for a fascinating day ranging from cartoons and writing to photography and brass bands.
Comic Creations
Autumn Festival of Ideas 2014
Our third annual event celebrating the art of the graphic story from Jonathan Cape brings together debut novelists and world-acclaimed writers and artists - including Steve Bell, Mary and Bryan Talbot, Isabel Greenberg, Nick Hayes and Fumo Obata.
Interview with Sir Peter Bazalgette
Autumn Festival of Ideas 2014
Sir Peter Bazalgette, in a special interview, talks about arts and cultural funding, whether there is an imbalance of support between London and the rest of England, cultural philanthropy and the likely evolution of funding in the future.
Mayor's Series - Art and Media in London & the Cities
Autumn Festival of Ideas 2014
It's been claimed that there's a funding bias towards London that leaves large parts of England without fair access to the arts. They are where most people live and work, learn and play. But is London an over-dominant capital city with a runaway economy?
David Mitchell - The Bone Clocks
Autumn Festival of Ideas 2014
A special event with acclaimed novelist David Mitchell (Cloud Atlas, Black Swan Green), where he will discuss his latest novel The Bone Clocks, a metaphysical thriller that crackles with his customary wit and invention.
War of Words – Soldier-Poets of the Somme
Autumn Festival of Ideas 2014
More poets and writers took part in the battle of the Somme than any other battle in history. This new BBC film looks at how these men served in the same trenches, fought in the same attacks and produced poetry and prose that has shaped the way people remember the Great War.
John Lahr On Tennessee Williams
Autumn Festival of Ideas 2014
John Lahr, former New Yorker theatre critic and biographer of Williams, discusses Tennessee Williams one of America's most fascinating playwrights' life and work in this special event with film clips.
Steven Johnson
Autumn Festival of Ideas 2014
Bestselling author Steven Johnson celebrates the surprising inspirations and consequences of the most influential innovations: how simple scientific breakthroughs have driven other discoveries.
Linda Tirado and Tom Clark
Autumn Festival of Ideas 2014
Writer Linda Tirado and journalist Tom Clark discuss the poverty trap, how politicians on both sides of the Atlantic show more interest in exploiting the divisions, and the long term consequences of our unequal societies.
Mayor's Series - Freeing Cities
Autumn Festival of Ideas 2014
What would it mean if cities were free of London - or at least had stronger powers and retained more funding? What can Bristol learn from recent initiatives in Manchester and Liverpool? Hear from experts including George Ferguson, Mayor of Bristol.
Rebecca Newberger Goldstein - Plato at the Googleplex
Autumn Festival of Ideas 2014
Philosopher and novelist Rebecca Newberger Goldstein probes the deepest issues confronting us by allowing us to eavesdrop on Plato as he takes on the modern world.
Alice Roberts - The Incredible Unlikeliness of Being
Autumn Festival of Ideas 2014
Using her skills and knowledge as a doctor, anatomist, osteoarchaeologist and writer, Alice Roberts explores why and how we have developed as we have and examines the history of our anatomical understanding.
Walter Mischel - The Marshmallow Test
Autumn Festival of Ideas 2014
Walter Mischel holds the Robert Johnston Niven chair as professor of human letters in psychology at Columbia University. He is the author of more than 200 scientific papers as well as the co-author on Introduction to Personality.
Festival of Health Session 3 - Change and Vision for the Health Care System
Autumn Festival of Ideas 2014
Change has been a consistent feature of the health and care system. What are the factors that will (or may) shape change in the system over the next 10 years?
Festival of Health Session 2 - Healthy Cities & Communities
Autumn Festival of Ideas 2014
A 'happy and healthy city' is the key theme of Bristol's year as the European Green Capital in 2015. What might this mean in practice and how can the various systems that shape the city and the way it functions promote rather than undermine health?
Festival of Health Session 1 - The Health Care System Now
Autumn Festival of Ideas 2014
The health and care system is a massive and complex network, often difficult to understand and changing quickly - yet it touches all our lives. Discover how it works.
Mayor's Series - London & The Cities
Autumn Festival of Ideas 2014
There's much debate about the imbalance between London and the cities and much talk about rebalancing the economy. How real is this imbalance? What does Bristol lose in this relationship? Join this free debate with a variety of speakers.
David Kynaston - Modernity Britain
Autumn Festival of Ideas 2014
Historian David Kynaston talks about his next volume on the history of post-war Britain, covering the years 1959-62 - a time when the country was transforming from the old to the brink of a new world.