What's on this week Fri 22 - Thu 28 Sept

God’s Own Country 15

Film

Until Thu 28 Sept

Francis Lee's remarkable debut - that is rightly being hailed as one of the best British films of the year - is a brilliantly performed and impressively unsentimental story of love and longing in the Yorkshire Pennines.

Wind River 15

Film

Until Thu 28 Sept

The directorial debut from screenwriter (Sicario and Hell or High Water) Taylor Sheridan is a bleak and brutal thriller set on the snowy fringes of the American West, starring Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen.

Tap Takeover: Butcombe Brewing co

Event

Until Sun 24 Sept

Butcombe Brewery co take over all five of our ale taps in the Café/Bar from Mon 18 - Sun 24 Sept. Come and try some of their Organic ales!

VR 1: Electric Relaxation 15 Encounters '17

Event

Until Sat 23 Sept

From your final hours of this lifetime to soul soothing meditation, this programme explores headspaces in a variety of scenarios… sometimes whilst riding a flying fish.

VR 2: Excursions 15 Encounters '17

Event

Until Sat 23 Sept

Pack your bag and immerse yourself into unfamiliar environments - sometimes flying solo, sometimes with a former VP.

VR 3: Scenario 15 Encounters '17

Event

Until Sat 23 Sept

The world around us is dictated by what we know and what we see, this VR programme explores what happens when this is challenged.

VR: Another Gaze 15 Encounters '17

Event

Until Sat 23 Sept

From challenging an urban-centric outlook, to whole-heartedly representing the female experience, Another Gaze will draw attention to the creative importance of the world view that VR creators come with.

VR Lates: Together 18 Encounters '17

Event

Until Sat 23 Sept

A programme of VR experiences that demonstrate what VR is capable of in terms of showing the nuances of human relationships, sensuality and sexuality.

Yuichi Ito Screening 15 Encounters '17

Film

Today at 16:30

Yuichi Ito will present his fims such as "Harbor Tale", a stop-motion adventure following the travels of a red brick at Yokohama harbour which has been infected by the human desire to explore the world.

Creative England Showcase 15 Sold Out Encounters '17

Film

Today at 17:00

A showcase of shorts from UK filmmakers supported through Creative England.

Short Film 9: Stranger Danger 15 Encounters '17

Film

Today at 18:00

Here’s a selection of powerful stories reminding us of a the refugee and migration crisis which often fails to make the headlines.

Borg Vs McEnroe 15 (S)

Film

Fri 22 - Thu 28 Sept

Danish director Janus Metz serves up this story of the epic rivalry between Swedish tennis legend Björn Borg and his biggest rival, the brash American John McEnroe, which came to a head in the 1981 Wimbledon final.

Borg Vs McEnroe 15 (S) Cinébabies

Film

Mon 25 Sept 11:00

Cinébabies is our weekly daytime screening of one of the current films in the programme specifically for parents/carers with babies under 12 months.

Shorts2Features: A Moving Image 15 Encounters '17

Film

Today at 19:00

Shola Amoo's award winning multimedia feature film about gentrification in Brixton, incorporating fiction, documentary and performance art.

Late Lounge: Red 18 Encounters '17

Film

Today at 20:00

This is not for the faint-hearted and will likely make you squirm with outrage and revulsion. Buckle down for a bumpy ride and hope you’ve got your good sea-legs on…

Shubbak presents: Imagined Futures, short films by Arab artists, curated by Elhum Shakerifar 15 Encounters '17

Film

Today at 21:30

Imagined Futures invites you to discover the Arab region's most exciting new voices in this rich mix of sci-fi, animation and drama.

Late Lounge: Blue 18 Encounters '17

Film

Today at 22:00

Leave your political correctness at the door for some of these films take no prisoners and leave you feeling rather soiled by the end. These films will touch you in more ways than one

We're Going on a Bear Hunt U Encounters '17

Film

Sat 23 Sept 09:30

Based on the bestselling bedtime book which follows the intrepid adventures of siblings Stan, Katie, Rosie, Max, the baby and Rufus the dog, who set off on an expedition in search of bears, determined to ‘catch a big one’.

Autism Friendly: Oska Bright PG Encounters '17

Film

Sat 23 Sept 10:00

Encounters have teamed up with Oska Bright Film Festival to present an autism friendly screening, mixing animation, music films, documentary and drama

Who Let the Dogs Out - The Reksio Anniversary Programme PG Encounters '17

Film

Sat 23 Sept 10:30

To celebrate his 50th birthday we present the best adventures of Reksio, the beloved Polish cartoon dog, and other Polish kid gems...

Children's Jury Award PG Encounters '17

Film

Sat 23 Sept 11:00

A brilliant selection of new short films from around the world chosen by young people for young people.

VS1 Retrospective 15 (S) Encounters '17

Film

Sat 23 Sept 12:00

A look back on VS1’s film archive, highlighting VS1 creative productions that have delivered quirky, comic, and emotional films reflecting the lives of the Deaf community.

The Best of Poland - Polish Series for Children PG Encounters '17

Film

Sat 23 Sept 12:30

This year Polish animation celebrates 70 years, that's why Polish Animation Producers Association present newest Polish children's productions from all over the world.

Revolting Rhymes PG Encounters '17

Film

Sat 23 Sept 13:00

This takes the classic fairy tales of Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, The Three Little Pigs, Jack & the Beanstalk and Cinderella, mixing and serving them with a mischievous twist.

DepicT! 15 Encounters '17

Film

Sat 23 Sept 14:00

DepicT! is Watershed’s international short film competition that, since its creation by Brief Encounters in 1998, has been challenging filmmakers to create 90 second ultra-short masterpieces.

Shorts2Features: Ethel & Ernest PG Encounters '17

Film

Sat 23 Sept 14:15

A charming animated love story based on Raymond Briggs’ autobiographical book about his parents Ethel and Ernest who lived through major changes during their 40 years of marriage, voiced by Brenda Blethyn and Jim Broadbent.

Making of the Red Turtle PG Encounters '17

Talk

Sat 23 Sept 14:30

In this special session the director Michael Dudok de Wit will discuss some of the processes, ideas and challenges involved in making The Red Turtle and also his collaboration with Studio Ghibli.

Deaf Shorts Showcase 15 (S) Encounters '17

Film

Sat 23 Sept 16:00

The films selected for this programme feature a representation of Deafness not as the main form of conflict but as part of a wider narrative and present a unique representation of the Deaf community in the 21st Century.

Shorts2Features: Bronco’s House 15 Encounters '17

Film

Sat 23 Sept 16:30

One man’s quest for a roof. A contemporary moral tale of love, lust, birth, death, infidelity, murder, revenge, redemption…and the housing crisis.

Spanish Deaf Shorts 15 (S) Encounters '17

Film

Sat 23 Sept 18:30

Highlighting the most popular themes and content within Spanish Deaf Shorts, we find out about their cultural identity and style.

The Final Girls present Strange Creatures 18 Encounters '17

Film

Sat 23 Sept 20:00

The Final Girls celebrate the grisly, gruesome world of body horror with this collection of shorts.

Aki Kaurismäki: Selected Shorts 15 Encounters '17

Film

Sat 23 Sept 20:30

Though best known for his features, Aki Kaurismäki’s unique style and worldview are equally seen in the numerous short films he has directed since the early 1980s.

The Final Girls present The Final Girls 15 Encounters '17

Film

Sat 23 Sept 22:00

A genre-blending horror comedy where a group of friends get sucked into an infamous 80s horror film.

Shorts2Features: Leningrad Cowboys Go America 15 Encounters '17

Film

Sat 23 Sept 22:30

This hilarious road movie follows the misadventures of the worst rock and roll band in the world, the Leningrad Cowboys.

Award Winners Screening 1 15 Encounters '17

Film

Sun 24 Sept 11:40

Catch a selection of the award-winning short and animated films in this unmissable showcase.

Un Flic 12A (S) Jean Pierre Melville Brunches

Film

Sun 24 Sept 12:00

Melville’s final film was a potent cat-and-mouse tale of thieves, informants, cops and mistresses - a bracingly pessimistic masterpiece of film noir and a hypnotic summation and final testament of the director’s signature style and vision.

Award Winners Screening 2 15 Encounters '17

Film

Sun 24 Sept 14:10

Want to see the best of the best from the 2017 competition? Catch a selection of the award-winning short and animated films in this unmissable showcase.

Journey Through French Cinema 12A (S)

Film

Sun 24 - Thu 28 Sept

Celebrated French director Bertrand Tavernier, known for films rich in cultural and social commentary (Round Midnight, The Clockmaker), invites us on an insightful and entertaining voyage through his country's cinema.

On Body and Soul 18 (S)

Film

Sun 24 - Thu 28 Sept

Love blossoms in the unlikeliest of places (a Hungarian slaughterhouse) in this quirky, dreamlike film, winner of the top prize in Berlin and the first in 18 years for writer/director Ildikó Enyedi (My Twentieth Century).

Preview: My Pure Land + Director Q&A 15 (S)

Film

Tue 26 Sept 17:50

Based on an extraordinary true story, director Sarmad Masud’s impressive debut is a tense siege thriller involving a mother and her two daughters who are fighting to protect their home in rural Pakistan.

Raise the Bar (feat. Dizraeli) Sold Out

Performance

Wed 27 Sept 19:30

Raise the Bar, Bristol's biggest monthly spoken word poetry event, is back for a new season headlined by none other than Bristol-born poet and musician Dizraeli.

IGLAB 02 Sold Out

Event

Thu 28 Sept 17:30

Join us for the second of six IGLABs, a place to test and play games - games that are played in the real world rather than via a console or screen, games that are social, definitely foolish, and possibly a little bit absurd.

Fri 29 Sept - Thu 5 Oct

Robot Native: Post-digital Futures Lunchtime Talk

Talk

Fri 29 Sept 13:00

In this week's Lunchtime Talk Paul O'Dowd, Research Fellow at the Centre for Fine Print Research joins us to share his research and practice incorporating robotics, art and design. The Pervasive Media Studio is located within the Watershed building. Let us know if you'd like a tour and we'll be happy to show you around. Send an email to admin@pmstudio.co.uk

Tawai: A Voice from the Forest U

Film

Fri 29 Sept - Thu 5 Oct

In this dreamy, philosophical look at life explorer Bruce Parry (Tribe, BBC) travels the world in exploration of a deeper understanding of indigenous peoples and how their way of life can benefit those in the industrialised world.

Daphne 15

Film

Fri 29 Sept - Thu 5 Oct

This striking drama from director Peter Mackie Burns follows the life of an early-thirties Londoner who goes off the rails after witnessing a random act of violence.

Daphne 15 Cinébabies

Film

Mon 2 Oct 11:00

Cinébabies is our weekly daytime screening of one of the current films in the programme specifically for parents/carers with babies under 12 months.

My Pure Land 15 (S)

Film

Fri 29 Sept - Thu 5 Oct

Tree of Life 12A Films About Looking

Film

Sun 1 Oct 12:00

Terrence Malick’s visionary masterpiece is a magnificent, toweringly ambitious and deeply serious address about the inner crisis of a tormented man in his middle years and the terrible unchangeability of the past.

Ice Road

Performance

Mon 2 Oct - Sun 19 Nov

From Pervasive Media Studio Residents, Raucous who gave us The Stick House in 2015 comes Ice Road: fusing performance, creative technology, original music, film and aroma to tell the story of the children war leaves behind.

Cinéphiles

Event

Until Mon 2 Oct

Cinéphiles is a film discussion group that meets once a month to discuss films chosen from Watershed's programme. All are welcome.

Fri 6 - Thu 12 Oct

Ice Road

Performance

Mon 2 Oct - Sun 19 Nov

On the Rocks at the Minack Theatre

Film

Fri 6 - Sat 7 Oct

Watershed and Compass Presents ‘On the Rocks’, an expanded cinema screening of Alfred Hitchcock’s Jamaica Inn at the world famous Minack Theatre in Cornwall, renowned for its iconic location perched on the cliffs above the Atlantic ocean.

Blood Simple - The Director's Cut 15

Film

Fri 6 - Thu 12 Oct

Where it all began for the Coen brothers on their career-long darkly comic road trip through misfit America, this razor-sharp, hard-boiled Texan noir sees a sleazy bar owner release a torrent of violence upon himself and those around him with one murderous thought.

Blow Up 15 Films About Looking

Film

Sun 8 Oct 12:00

Michelangelo Antonioni's landmark thriller about a fashion photographer in Swinging Sixties London who develops a set of pictures only to discover a sequence of shots that apparently proves a murder, is a countercultural masterpiece about the act of seeing and the art of image making.

Tap Takeover: Bath Ales

Event

Mon 9 - Sun 15 Oct

Bath Ales take over all five of our ale taps in the Café/Bar from Mon 9 - Sun 15 Oct. Come and try some of their ales!

The Link - A Networking Event for Young People

Event

Mon 9 Oct 18:00

The Link is Rife Magazine’s free networking event for Bristol’s young creatives, under 24, to meet, be creative, collaborate and meet professionals.

Freedom of Mind Presents: Mad to Be Normal 15

Film

Mon 9 Oct 20:15

David Tennant turns in a memorable performance as Scottish psychiatrist RD Laing in Robert Mullan’s biopic of the maverick scientist.

Freedom of Mind Presents: Creating A Space For Men To Talk

Talk

Wed 11 Oct 19:00

Freedom of Mind team up for a joint collaboration with Bristol Festival of Ideas and Man Up Man Down to discuss how we can all make space for men to talk and open up about their emotional well being.

Fri 13 - Thu 19 Oct

Ice Road

Performance

Mon 2 Oct - Sun 19 Nov

Tap Takeover: Bath Ales

Event

Mon 9 - Sun 15 Oct

Bath Ales take over all five of our ale taps in the Café/Bar from Mon 9 - Sun 15 Oct. Come and try some of their ales!

Loving Vincent 12A

Film

Fri 13 - Thu 19 Oct

The world's first fully painted feature film brings together the paintings of Vincent van Gogh to tell his extraordinary life story - and every one of the 65,000 frames of the film is an oil-painting hand-painted by a small army of 125 professionals.

The Party 15

Film

Fri 13 - Thu 19 Oct

British director and screenwriter Sally Potter's (Orlando, Ginger & Rosa) eighth feature is a dark, political comedy served up at a dinner party gone very wrong.

The Party 15 Cinébabies

Film

Mon 16 Oct 11:00

Cinébabies is our weekly daytime screening of one of the current films in the programme specifically for parents/carers with babies under 12 months.

Ghostwatch 25th Anniversary + Q&A 12A

Film

Fri 13 Oct 17:45

Ghostwatch is a British reality horror mockumentary television film that first aired on the BBC on Halloween twenty five years ago in 1992. The audience and press reaction following the broadcast led the BBC to place a decade-long ban on the programme being repeated. Join scriptwriter Stephen Volk and film critic Kim Newman at this special screening followed by a Q&A.

Junction 3 Library - Family Arts and Animation Workshop

Drop-in

Sat 14 Oct 13:00 - 16:00

Families can join Watershed, the Architecture Centre and Children's Scrapstore for a creative afternoon exploring the theme of identity through model making, drawing and animation.

Birth 15 Films About Looking

Film

Sun 15 Oct 12:00

Jonathan Glazer’s mysterious, haunting and utterly mesmerising portrait of the profound loss and emotional insecurity felt by a delicate young widow faced with the seeming reincarnation of her dead husband, is one of the great unsung masterpieces of the early 2000’s.

Dispossession: The Great Housing Swindle PG Festival of the Future City

Film

Mon 16 Oct 18:00

Paul Sng's documentary explores the catastrophic failures that have led to a chronic shortage of social housing in Britain.

Deaf Conversations About Cinema: Loving Vincent

Talk

Mon 16 Oct 19:50

Join us for an informal discussion about the themes of the film in the Café/Bar (Deaf and hearing audience members are both most welcome). You’ll receive 10% off drinks with your cinema ticket – so grab a glass and let us know your thoughts about Loving Vincent.

New Cities for a New World Festival of the Future City

Event

Wed 18 Oct 09:00

How do we create better cities for the world we now live in? In this session we discuss modern slavery, how to rebuild cities after war, and how American cities are leading the way on many positive initiatives.

Workshop: Collaborating with Communities in Creating Their Own Spaces with the City Festival of the Future City

Workshop

Wed 18 Oct 09:00

Grass-roots activities can regenerate areas and empower communities to take ownership of their own shared spaces within the city. This panel explores the interplay between ‘top down’ and ‘ground up’ interventions and places in between.

How Should Cities Deal with the Legacies of Guilt? Festival of the Future City

Event

Wed 18 Oct 09:10

How cities and places should deal with guilt due to past actions is a debate around the world and it’s a big debate in Bristol too.

Psychology and the City Festival of the Future City

Talk

Wed 18 Oct 10:50

Charles Landry and Comedia have long been pioneers of new thinking about cities. With Chris Murray (Core Cities), Landry outlines why urban psychology is important. They are joined by Michael Sanders (Behavioural Insights Team) who talks about how the behavioural sciences can help create better policy in places for the future.

World Cities Festival of the Future City

Event

Wed 18 Oct 11:00

What can we learn from cities worldwide? Leading researchers, novelists, city planners, writers and commentators report on cities that they work in, know intimately, continue to praise and worry about.

Future Cities Catapult: Urban Mobility Festival of the Future City

Talk

Wed 18 Oct 11:00

A look at urban mobility challenges and the impact of their deployment in the wider city environment.

Smart Cities and Smart Citizens Festival of the Future City

Event

Wed 18 Oct 12:40

How do we make sure that smart cities involve citizens and bring together commercial and community uses?

The Future of Metro Devolution Festival of the Future City

Talk

Wed 18 Oct 13:10

Six new combined authority mayors were elected in May 2017. Together they have responsibility for nearly ten million people and economies worth over £200bn. What can mayors do with the powers they have now? What will the future bring?

Future Cities Catapult: City Information Models Festival of the Future City

Talk

Wed 18 Oct 13:30

The way in which we use information about our cities is about to undergo a fundamental change. This session will explore some of the trends and how the concept of city information models can begin to tie together some of the disparate developments in technology, city planning and management.

Good Work in the Future City Festival of the Future City

Event

Wed 18 Oct 14:30

What is the future of work in cities? What can city leaders do to promote good work? Our panellists examine work trends, low-pay, universal basic income and the evidence base for the future of work, among other issues.

Future Architecture and Future Cities Festival of the Future City

Talk

Wed 18 Oct 15:10

What's the best new thinking about the future of cities coming from architects, politicians and architectural commentators and what can we learn from recent experience in the UK, Brazil, Syria and elsewhere?

Will Driverless Cars Liberate Cities? Festival of the Future City

Talk

Wed 18 Oct 15:30

It is said that 40 years from now our cities will look very different to how they look today thanks to driverless cars.

Civil Society and the Future of Cities Festival of the Future City

Talk

Wed 18 Oct 16:00

Julia Unwin explores the future needs and opportunities of civil society in cities.

DiverCities: What Makes Your Bristol? Festival of the Future City

Event

Wed 18 Oct 16:30

Take one location in the city. How would you culturally and creatively represent Bristol? This workshop introduces the Creative Europe project Future DiverCities.

Looking at Cities and Cityscapes, Art and Cinema Festival of the Future City

Talk

On Looking at Cities and Cityscapes, Art and Cinema

Wed 18 Oct 18:00

From great works of art to tourist photographs, from cityscapes to cinema, through science and protest, propaganda and refusals to look, filmmaker and writer Mark Cousins illuminates how we construct as well as receive the things we see.

Radical Technologies and the Future of Cities Festival of the Future City

Talk

Wed 18 Oct 18:00

Everywhere we turn, a startling new device promises to make life easier, more convenient and more productive. What challenges do these innovations present to us, as individuals and societies?

What Can We Learn from Cities of the Past? Festival of the Future City

Talk

Wed 18 Oct 19:40

What lessons can we take from the great cities of the past that can help us today and into the future? Philosopher Julian Baggini chairs this panel discussion.

Cities, Research, Urban Futures and the Political Response Festival of the Future City

Event

Thu 19 Oct 09:10

What happens to city research? Our panellists discuss what happens in government and what might be done to improve the research/policy-making process.

Making the City Playable

Event

Thu 19 Oct 09:30

This one day conference will explore the theme of the Playable City and how public space, creativity and imagination combines to create unexpected interactions and new kind of dialogue.

Future Cities Catapult: Data Visualisation Workshop Festival of the Future City

Workshop

Thu 19 Oct 09:30

This hands-on workshop for SMEs is a beginner’s introduction to the tools, techniques and storytelling skills required to turn raw city data into striking visualisations.

Using Research for City Futures: Keynotes Festival of the Future City

Talk

Thu 19 Oct 11:10

How do we use research to provide practical solutions to city problems and what partnerships can be developed to secure the best results from research?

Urban Speculations: Imagining Alternatives to the Built Environment Festival of the Future City

Workshop

Thu 19 Oct 13:00

This workshop looks at the lessons learned about the commercialisation of city spaces and the impact this has on the built environment.

Giving Power to the People: The Future of Devolution Festival of the Future City

Talk

Thu 19 Oct 13:30

Michael Heseltine has always been a strong supporter of cities and devolution. He talks now about his vision for cities for the future and where devolution can go next.

Sustainable Development Goals and Cities: An International Perspective Festival of the Future City

Talk

Thu 19 Oct 14:00

This panel explores how the UN Sustainable Development Goals (which cover 17 areas where major progress is needed by 2030) are being implemented across the world.

New Approaches to Urban Living Festival of the Future City

Talk

Thu 19 Oct 14:00

This session brings together researchers, their partners and funders with the public to identify what has been learned about cities; identify strategies and programmes of work that will see cities transformed in the future; and identify where research is needed next.

Sustainability and the Future of Cities Sold Out Festival of the Future City

Event

Thu 19 Oct 15:30

How do we create sustainable cities? What powers must central government part with to allow cities to be free to act? How radical can cities be?

Artificial Intelligence, Innovation and US Cities in the Age of Trump Festival of the Future City

Event

Thu 19 Oct 16:00

Andrew Moore will be in conversation with Nick Pearce about the current horizon for artificial intelligence, robotics and Big Data and the social, economic and political implications of technological change.

Immigration and Future Cities Festival of the Future City

Talk

Thu 19 Oct 18:00

In the wake of the decision to leave the EU following the 2016 referendum this session asks how might immigration change after Brexit? What are the risks or opportunities? And can a common ground be found or will there be further polarisation?

If Women Built Cities Festival of the Future City

Event

Thu 19 Oct 19:40

How different would cities be if women built them? How do we extend the rights to the city to all?

See full calendar