Cinema Rediscovered 2026 | Programme

Previous events in this programme

People engaged in conversation at an indoor social gathering, holding drinks and casually interacting in a warmly lit space.

Please note: This event took place in July 2026

Join some of the most inspiring voices in the worlds of exhibition, distribution and restoration to reflect on the rise of rep cinema over the past decade; and what that might mean for the future of cinema.

Person standing in front of the Capitole building with a "cinémathèque suisse" sign above the entrance.

Please note: This event took place in July 2026

To celebrate Il Cinema Ritrovato turning forty and Cinema Rediscovered turning ten, we are delighted to welcome Il Cinema Ritrovato’s Co-director Ehsan Khoshbakht, for a conversation with our founder Mark Cosgrove hosted by film critic, historian and long-standing collaborator Pamela Hutchinson.

Blonde woman in a red outfit stands with hands on hips near a large industrial machine with yellow control panel in a dimly lit setting.

Please note: This event took place in July 2026

Café & Bar, Watershed

Relationship trouble? Choosing dinner? Look out for our Danger: Diabolik Hotline. Dial for Diabolik: the suave super-villain from the Giussani sisters’ camp 1960’s comic. To join in, find the phone booth in Watershed’s Café & Bar and ask for counsel from our very own agony-aunt. Warning - follow his advice at your own risk!

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

Based on an iconic Italian comic, Mario Bava’s stylish cult classic has been an inspiration to many from the Beastie Boys to acclaimed British filmmaker Edgar Wright, who will present a pre-recorded introduction to the film.

With a pre-recorded introduction by filmmaker Edgar Wright.

The Wed 22 July 20:30 screening is followed by a FREE improv performance in the Café & Bar featuring Katy Schutte as Diabolik, alongside Bristol’s own two-prov G&T as the Giussani Sisters plus look out for our Danger: Diabolik Hotline from 19:30 onwards.

A photo of Mark Fuller leading a Cinema Walk at Cinema Rediscovered 2022.

Please note: This event took place in July 2026

Opposite Everyman Bristol

Bristol has been an UNESCO City of Film since 2017, but Bristol and cinema have been entwined since – some would say before – the beginning of moving pictures. Join local enthusiast and historian Mark Fuller for the first of three gentle walks.

Person sitting on grass beside a dog near a small wooden house, with misty trees and tall stone structures in the background.

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

Deeply personal, beautifully realised, and symbolically obscure, Andrei Tarkovsky’s first film directed outside of his home country stands as a testament to his own conflicting thoughts regarding Russia as he considered a self-proclaimed exile.

The Thu 23 July 10:45 screening will be introduced by Mark Cosgrove, Cinema Rediscovered Founder.

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

Chabrol’s ice cold tale of infidelity, passion and violence – an unmissable Hitchcockian thriller set against a backdrop of bourgeois respectability in late 1960’s Versailles which inspired Andrey Zvyagintsev's Cannes 2026 Grand Prix winner Minotaur.

Person in a brown shirt sits on an orange couch reading a magazine, with a plant and a textured wall in the background.

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

Charles Burnett’s deeply humanist follow-up to Killer of Sheep centres on Pierce Mundy caught between family expectations and loyalty to a friend, providing an intimate window into early ’80s South Central LA.

With an introduction by writer/curator Karen Alexander and a pre-recorded message from director Charles Burnett.

Two men posing indoors; one wears a hat and coat, the other wears a suit with a floral tie, standing in front of a poster with a white car.

Please note: This event took place in July 2026

Waterside 3 Event Space, Watershed

Join Jake Garriock (Curzon Head of Distribution strategy and group publicity), Mark Cosgrove (Cinema Rediscovered Founder) and guests for a look at the influential UK distributor of indie foreign language and arthouse films, past present and future...

BFI National Archive Conservation Centre Film Vault

Please note: This exhibition took place in July 2026

Waterside 1 Event Space, Watershed

Come and find out how a film archive works in this new exhibition on display in W1 throughout the festival. All welcome including younger guests in this free drop-in space hosted by the BFI National Archive team.

Black and white photo of a woman and man standing side by side, with a microphone in front and a piano in the background.

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

An important milestone of Black South African cinematic history that lives on in cultural memory, African Jim introduced the singular jazz singer and activist Dolly Rathebe to the big screen.

With an introduction by curator Mosa Mpetha and followed by a short post screening discussion.

Content warning: this film contains outdated practices, such as racialised language and mistreatment of people which some may find offensive.

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

Get insights into the creation of the Peter Gabriel’s award-winning Sledgehammer music video featuring innovative stop-motion animation by Aardman and the Brothers Quay.

With an introduction by “Edit producer” Nigel Ashcroft and a pre-recorded message from Peter Gabriel.

Two people near a bent, leafless tree by a rocky shore with calm blue water and distant land on the horizon.

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

Set in the final hours before a nuclear war threatens to wipe out humanity, Andrei Tarkovsky’s visionary final film is a visually breathtaking meditation on existential terror and a melancholic swan song from one of cinema’s true auteurs.

The Thu 23 July 14:30 screening will be introduced by film programmer Ilia Ryzhenko.

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

Join Aardman’s co-founders David Sproxton and Peter Lord for a rare 40th anniversary screening of Channel 4’s 1986 cult animated shorts programme Sweet Disaster which includes their rarely screened Babylon, amongst other bold experimental work from Aardman alumni and beyond.

Black and white photo of a woman in a sleeveless dress sitting behind a table with a large textured glass vase.

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

Berlin-based director Cynthia Beatt’s first feature shot shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall centres on Queenie (a spellbinding performance by a young Tilda Swinton), a woman navigating a personal crisis.

Introduced by Watershed's Communications Coordinator (and party hostess of the mostess) Stef Graham.

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

Tsai Ming-Liang's poignant love letter to cinema is an exquisite, wryly funny and tender tribute to the experience of cinemagoing, to cinemas as spaces, and to the people in the audience and behind the scenes. 

With an introduction by film historian, repertory programmer and video essayist Jonathan Bygraves.

Man in a dark suit standing outside a snow-covered building at night, illuminated by glowing round pathway lights, cinematic noir atmosphere with dramatic low-light photography.

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

An anonymous tip starts a traditional whodunnit which quickly segues into a surrealistic farce and moves from film noir to science fiction in the mysterious and enigmatic Dead Mountaineer’s Hotel.

The Thu 23 July 18:20 screening will start with an introductory chat with the film composer and pioneer of electronic music Sven Grünberg and synthesiser virtuoso Taavi Kerikmäe and be followed by a live set by the duo in the Café & Bar.

Black and white photo of a man playing multiple keyboards and synthesizers in a studio setting.

Please note: This event took place in July 2026

Café & Bar, Watershed

Experience the visionary sounds of Estonian pioneer of electronic music, Sven Grünberg, the first composer in the Soviet Union to create an album entirely made of electronic music.

Two people look at each other in front of a neon sign for Circus Circus Hotel Casino

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

Mike Figgis’ beautifully lurid descent into Las Vegas oblivion is anchored by two career defining - and award winning - performances from Nicolas Cage and Elizabeth Shue.

With a pre-recorded intro by director Mike Figgis.

Person in yellow sitting beside a blackboard with handwritten text describing a "Homely Saxena girl" and personal details.

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

Arundhati Roy’s debut screenplay captures 1970s student rebellion in New Delhi, set against a vibrant backdrop of Marxism, parties and Beatles songs.

With an introduction by Film scholar, curator and founder of Day for Night Sonali Joshi.

A still of a person teaching an improv class.

Please note: This event took place in July 2026

Waterside 1 Event Space, Watershed

Join The Pretend Company for this first of two Improv Cinema Club sessions, a unique opportunity to explore some of the films presented at Cinema Rediscovered in a nuanced and in-depth way.

A photo of the Watershed projection room

Please note: This event took place in July 2026

Projection Rooms, Watershed

Join Watershed’s Charlotte Bendrey and BFI National Archive Curator Rosie Taylor on a tour of Watershed’s projection booth and discover how the films screening at the festival make it to the screen during a festival like Cinema Rediscovered.

Black-and-white photo of young men traveling in a vintage compact car with luggage strapped to the roof, roadside rural setting.

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

Four city boys embark on a countryside holiday that will transform them in this quietly incisive gem from Satyajit Ray, presented in a stunning new 4K restoration spearheaded by Wes Anderson, and Martin Scorsese’s The Film Foundation.

With an in-person introduction by curator and filmmaker Dina Mufti and a pre-recorded introduction by Wes Anderson.

A photo of a man leaning over a cinema seat to talk to a woman.

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

A humorous insider critique of 1950s Parisien cinephile scene by filmmaker, critic, and producer Luc Moullet who began writing for Cahiers du Cinéma at the age of 18 alongside figures like Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut.  

Join Watershed Cinema Programmer Steph Read and critic and improviser Tara Judah for a suitably playful introduction followed by a meet-up in the café/bar with Cinema Year Zero.

Black-and-white photo of six people, five standing and one sitting, posing casually in front of a plain wall and door.

Please note: This event took place in July 2026

Join Professor Shawn Sobers, Simon Bright (Zimbabwe) and fellow filmmaker Martin Mhando (Tanzania) to watch Corridors of Freedom (1987) and reflect on the vibrant collaboration and resistance of the Southern African Transnational Cinema movement that emerged in the 1980s and 90s to counter South Africa’s apartheid propaganda and the media biases of former colonial powers.

A panel of people sitting in front of an audience with a screen behind them.

Please note: This event took place in July 2026

Waterside 2 Event Space, Watershed

Interested in meeting some of the film curators involved in Cinema Rediscovered and getting insights into how the festival gets programmed? For those of you interested in pitching an event or season for next year’s edition of the festival, this is also a great opportunity to pick up practical tips from those involved in our Other Ways of Seeing commissions supported by BFI awarding funds from National Lottery.

Two people in formal attire walking on a quiet street lined with greenery and a hotel restaurant sign in the background.

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

Claude Chabrol’s masterful thriller hinges on the unlikely bond between a schoolmistress and a butcher and the unsettling possibility that all might not be what it seems as a wave of murders grip their small idyllic French village.

The Fri 24 July 14:00 screening will be introduced by film critic and improviser Tara Judah.

Two people standing outdoors on a sunny day with trees and grass in the background, one in an orange dress and the other in a brown suit.

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

Dirk Bogarde and Stanley Baker star in a study of masculine malaise among the academic elite told through the elliptical rhythms of Harold Pinter's’ script and cool and penetratingly detached direction of Joseph Losey.

Introduced by Josh Losey, actor and son of director Joseph Losey.

Two men in coats stand near weathered stone walls; one gestures with a gloved hand while the other listens attentively in a black-and-white scene.

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

Crafted by renowned poet and screenwriter Ahmed Bouanani, this experimental masterpiece draws from Morocco’s rich oral traditions, and the ever-present spectre of colonialism.

With an introduction by curator Abiba Coulibaly.

A still from The Movie Orgy - black and white photo of a man in a suit applying Dristan nasal spray to his nose.

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

20th Century Flicks Kino

Before the era of YouTube mashups came The Movie Orgy (1968), an immense found footage cultural catalogue curated by legendary director Joe Dante in his debut feature.

Introduced by film critic Neil Ramjee.

The Kino is now sold out but due to popular demand, we have added in a FREE drop in screening in The Videodrome - entrance through the 20th Century Flicks video shop and exit through the back door.

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

A schoolteacher (the late Diane Keaton in one of her most striking performances) living alone spends her evenings frequenting late-night bars and picking up men in this dark complex drama.

With an introduction by Ellen Smith (Rogue Hollywood Co-curator).

A woman looks into a car to have a conversation with the driver.

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

This first and only feature film directed (and edited) by Park Nam-ok, South Korea's first female filmmaker, provides an intimate look at the female experience in post-war Seoul.

With an introduction by Rehana Esmail from Cinelogue, a curated streaming platform centring cinema from the Global Majority.

Black and white photo in a jail setting of two uniformed guards looking down at a prisoner on their knees.

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

The film the British Board of Film Censors didn’t want you to see… until the world changed.

With an introduction by Anthony Nield, Head of Production at Powerhouse Films.

Person with a large backpack standing in a busy indoor transit area.

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

A gritty crime drama focusing on the intense, cat-and-mouse relationship between Inspector Chan and a drug informant, exploring corruption and the "rules of the game" in 1970s Hong Kong.

With an introduction by Professor Andy Willis from the University of Salford, whose research area includes Hong Kong cinema.

Black and white photo of a docked cargo ship with lifeboats and large cranes loading or unloading containers.

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

Café & Bar, Watershed

Enjoy this specially curated BFI Replay showreel bringing together the BFI Replay trailer and Bristol archive highlights of the Harbourside selected by South West Silents for you to enjoy.

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

A conservative Midwestern patriarch has his world shaken when he must search for his missing daughter in the seedy underworld of the California sex industry in this bleak psychological neo-noir from Paul Schrader.

With an introduction by Ellen Smith (Rogue Hollywood Co-curator).

Black-and-white noir portrait of a woman and man sitting together in a dimly lit room, cinematic shadows, cigarette smoke, vintage atmosphere, and dramatic film-style photography.

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

Set against the gritty backdrop of 1990s New York City, this postmodern reimagining of the Dracula myth, executive produced by David Lynch, follows estranged vampire twins as they reunite after their father’s death.

With an introduction by Geoffrey M. Badger (Founder and operator of Lost Reels).

A still from Closed Circuit of two men in a cluttered office, one sitting and one standing, surrounded by film reels, a vintage lamp, and posters on the wall.

Please note: This event took place in July 2026

Waterside 2 Event Space, Watershed

Join us before the screening of Closed Circuit (1978) in Cinema 2, for a murder mystery inspired by the film. This interactive event will be taking place in Waterside 1, and will pull details from the film, but without giving away whodunit!

A still from Closed Circuit of a woman with dark curly hair wearing a brown jacket and pink collar shirt sitting indoors near a table with a patterned tablecloth.

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

Fiction becomes reality for an audience quietly watching a matinee of a spaghetti western at their local cinema when suddenly one of the patrons dies…

Before the screening, you can join in a Closed Circuit Murder Mystery game led by Watershed’s Gavin Sunderland. Places are limited so book early!

Please note: This event took place in July 2026

College Green Bus Stop

A still of Rosie Taylor operating a projector.

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

Waterside 2 Event Space, Watershed

BFI National Archive Curator Rosie Taylor presents two rare comedies of farcical romance, weddings and tomfoolery from the early period of British Lion and Hammer, now only viewable on 9.5mm film. 

A woman looks down at a man who is seated smoking a pipe in a grand living room setting.

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

British film noir at its darkest and most deadly.

With an introduction by Anthony Nield Head of Production at Powerhouse Films.

A still from Matinee of a person in detailed red insect costume standing in a cinema with an audience watching a black-and-white film.

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

Bristol Megascreen (about 1 min walk from Watershed)

B-movie director Lawrence Woolsey rolls into a Key West cinema with his new film Mant (half man, half ant - all terror) whilst the Cuban missile crisis cranks up nearby.

With a pre-recorded intro by director Joe Dante.

A still from The Jackal of Nahueltoro of two men walking on a rural road, carrying belongings, with leafless trees and overcast skies in the background.

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

Based on one of Chile's most notorious true crimes, this debut feature by Miguel Littín is a cornerstone of the New Chilean Cinema, ushering in an urgent, realist, and political filmmaking movement. 

With an introduction by curator Maggi Hurt and a pre-recorded intro by filmmaker Miguel Littín.

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

Join Aardman co-founders David Sproxton and Peter Lord for a deep dive into the world of Morph, one of the first characters created by the Bristol based studio, who would go on to entertain generations with his slapstick antics.

Please note: This event took place in July 2026

Bristol Megascreen (about 1 min walk from Watershed)

Join in for our pre-party presented by Party Girl Productions ahead of the Josie & The Pussycats screening.

A still of Paul Weedon from his viral video “I can’t believe you’ve done this”

Please note: This event took place in July 2026

Waterside 2 Event Space, Watershed

Join the team behind The Creative Nonfiction Film Weekend (CNFW), Will Swinburne, Curator at the BFI National Archive, and local viral video star Paul Weedon for a screening of early internet video and a discussion about what it means to preserve online moving image and to screen it in cinemas.

Two men sit at a table with cans of Schmidt's beer, glasses of milk and beer, a cigarette, and snacks in a dimly lit room.

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

Back on the big screen on its 50th anniversary, Elaine May’s neglected mid-1970s gem is a dissection of masculinity and male friendship anchored by mesmerising performances from John Cassavetes and Peter Falk.

With an introduction by Andy Willis (Rogue Hollywood Co-curator, Professor of Film Studies at the University of Salford and Senior Visiting Curator: Film at HOME in Manchester).

Josie and the Pussycats holding instruments

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

Bristol Megascreen (about 1 min walk from Watershed)

Beneath the glitter and pop lies a razor-sharp critique of corporate manipulation and manufactured fame, way ahead of its time. Gather your friends, cats and kitties and join Party Girl Productions to celebrate this classic on its 25th anniversary.

Presented with Party Girl Productions with a special performance by Brenda Callis and an introduction by Watershed’s Ella McDonald.

This event will have BSL interpretation for the intros and musical performance. The film will have Descriptive Subtitles, and the audience call and response will have scripted and unscripted elements, the scripted parts will have printed sheets available.

Black and white close-up of a person with long hair partially covered by a dark hood, dimly lit by a candle flame.

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

With a production almost as dramatic as its plot, this lavish late silent masterpiece by Erich von Stroheim can be fully experienced thanks to a vital new reconstruction by Milestones.

With an introduction by critic, film historian author of The Curse of Queen Kelly Pamela Hutchinson.

A black and white photo of a man looking down.

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

This important rediscovery banned in 1963 by the Venezuelan government provides a striking snapshot of social disparity which draws on the director’s own childhood experiences.

With an introduction by film curator and educator Lorena Pino Montilla (Latinas
in Bristol) and a pre-recorded interview with Vladimir Durán.

A still of Christopher Bird operating a projector.

Please note: This event took place in July 2026

Waterside 2 Event Space, Watershed

A decade before 9.5mm and 16mm film, Pathé launched 28mm, one of the first non-theatrical film gauges. Explore this forgotten format, featuring original prints projected on a 28mm Victor projector.

Ghostworld c/o Park Circus and Paramount

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

Break-out roles from Thora Birch and Scarlett Johansson, and also starring Steve Buscemi, this cult classic adapted from Daniel Clowes’ graphic novel remains a sharp, funny, and deeply relatable portrait of youth, identity, and not fitting in.

With an introduction by Watershed’s Cressida Williams and followed by a Craft & Chat drop-in workshop in W1.

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

Bristol Megascreen (about 1 min walk from Watershed)

Fifty years after it picked up the Palme d’Or at Cannes, Scorsese’s chilling masterpiece has lost none of its power to shock and disturb in its visceral exploration of alienation and violence in urban America.

With an introduction by Andy Willis (Rogue Hollywood Co-curator, Professor of Film Studies at the University of Salford and Senior Visiting Curator: Film at HOME in Manchester).

Black-and-white photo of three people in traditional East Asian clothing inside a room with wooden chairs and lattice windows.

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

Set in 17th-century China, T’ang Shushuen’s groundbreaking debut feature - one of the first independent films made in Hong Kong - traces the plight of a widow torn between passion and moral obligations.

With an introduction by Film scholar, curator and founder of Day for Night Sonali Joshi and a pre-recorded message from director T’ang Shushuen.

An group of people in a craft and chat session.

Please note: This event took place in July 2026

Waterside 2 Event Space, Watershed

Join in a Chat & Craft drop-in workshop, inspired by the films showing as part of Comics Come Alive.

A still from Boorman and the Devil of a woman wrapped in a white sheet in a dramatic pose with her hair blowing in the wind.

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

After his success with Point Blank and Deliverance, Warner Brothers offered John Boorman the opportunity of a lifetime... what could go wrong?

With an introduction by Ti Singh (Forbidden Worlds, Bristol Bad Film Club).

Two people sitting closely on a couch against wooden paneling, one holding a mug, in a dimly lit room.

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

Now newly restored for its 30th anniversary, Steve Buscemi’s debut feature is a still-largely unsung indie masterpiece capturing the chaos of hopeless loser Tommy (Buscemi) as he stumbles through life.

Scott Pilgrim vs The World c/o Park Circus and Universal

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

Bristol Megascreen (about 1 min walk from Watershed)

A twentysomething aspiring musician’s romantic life takes a dramatic turn when he meets the (literal) girl of his dreams, Ramona. Brace yourself for Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz)’s high energy adaptation of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s cult comic book.

With a pre-recorded introduction by director Edgar Wright and an in-person introduction by Timon Singh (Forbidden World Film Festival).

Black and white photo of two men posing confidently in front of illuminated Coca-Cola and other billboards at night.

Please note: This event took place in July 2026

Café & Bar, Watershed

Join us for an informal discussion before and after Friedkin’s film Cruising (1980) where archive materials will be provided to look through and Jim Hubbard's film Stop The Movie (1980) will be playing on the Café & Bar screen.

This space is intended to serve as an opportunity to discuss the film and the wider context; please be respectful of the lived experience of queer people.

Some of the displayed items contain discussions of the HIV and AIDS crisis.

A still from Exorcist II: The Heretic of a girl sitting in a chair with a device on her head with wires coming out of it.

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

Bristol Megascreen (about 1 min walk from Watershed)

From the director of Point Blank and Deliverance comes this vision-like metaphysical thriller that confounded audience expectations by delivering something unique and entirely unexpected.

With an introduction by Ti Singh (Forbidden Worlds, Bristol Bad Film Club).

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

Controversial at the time of its release, William Friedkin’s nocturnal thriller which sees Al Pacino’s undercover cop descend into New York’s gay leather scene on the hunt for a serial killer is being reappraised by a new generation.

With an introduction by Ellen Smith (Rogue Hollywood Co-curator) and with a pre and post screening Cruising The Archive discussion from 20:30 onwards in the Café & Bar.

Content warning: material focusing on HIV and AIDS which some may find upsetting.

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

Comic book Japanese style with a Korean twist: the Oldboy manga is brought to screen by maestro Park Chan-wook, a masterpiece of visceral violent vengeance.

Please note: This event took place in July 2026

Opposite Everyman Bristol

A black and white photo of three people standing in a room.

Please note: This event took place in July 2026

Waterside 1 Event Space, Watershed

Join The Pretend Company for this second of two Improv Cinema Club sessions, a unique opportunity to explore some of the films presented at Cinema Rediscovered in a nuanced and in-depth way.

The Adventures of Prince Achmed - c/o BFI National Archive

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

To celebrate the centenary of Lotte Reiniger’s beautiful 1926 silhouette animation, The Adventures of Prince Achmed, The Little Film Society bring you an enchanting screening of these magical tales from the Arabian Nights showing alongside some her lesser known, but no less spellbinding, fairytale films.

With an introduction by Dáire Carson (The Little Film Society) and followed by a shadow puppet making workshop inspired by the work of Reiniger. Design your very own cut out characters and bring them to life with some card, glue and light!

A black and white photo of three children looking through a fence.

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

On the centenary of his birth, BFI National Archive presents a brand new 35mm print of Brian Forbes’ directorial debut, which put the rural North of England on screen and launched the screen career of Alan Bates.

With an introduction by Josephine Botting (Curator, BFI National Archive and author of upcoming BFI Film Classic Whistle Down the Wind)

American Splendor c/o Park Circus and Warner Bros

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

Real comic-book artist Harvey Pekar is brought to cinematic life in this sweet, funny and off-kilter take on his highly idiosyncratic, autobiographical work.

With an introduction by Cinema Rediscovered Founder Mark Cosgrove.

Shadow puppets - a figure riding a horse.

Please note: This event took place in July 2026

Pervasive Media Studio

Join Dáire Carson (The Little Film Society) for a special shadow puppet making workshop inspired by the work of Lotte Reiniger, the foremost pioneer of silhouette animation.

Black and white photo of two people sitting at a table across from each other, with one person smoking a cigarette indoors.

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

Few films tell a heartbreaking story as hilariously as this must-see 1960s British New Wave classic in which Tom Courtenay stars in this tale of a young clerk lost to daydreams in his Yorkshire hometown. But will they ever come true?

With an introduction by actress, writer, director, and comedian Alice Lowe.

A close-up of a man and a woman embracing and leaning in for a kiss in a dimly lit setting.

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

The Cube Microplex (about 20 min walk from Watershed)

Fresh off box-office comedy smash The Longest Yard (1974), director Robert Aldrich and star sensation Burt Reynolds ditched laughs for a gritty, uncompromising neo-noir set in the seedy underbelly of LA.

With an introduction by Andy Willis (Rogue Hollywood Co-curator, Professor of Film Studies at the University of Salford and Senior Visiting Curator: Film at HOME in Manchester).

Black and white photo of a bride and groom under a veil, the bride holding a bouquet and wearing a cross necklace.

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

Curzon Cinema & Arts (about 45 min bus journey from Watershed)

Take a trip out to the stunning Curzon Cinema in Clevedon (and a peek at their Christie organ) followed by a special screening of this lavish late silent masterpiece introduced by critic and film historian Pamela Hutchinson.

With an introduction by critic and film historian Pamela Hutchinson and author of The Curse of Queen Kelly.

Woman with curly blonde hair in a white outfit seated at a bar table with multiple drinks.

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

Joseph Losey’s screen adaptation of the 1960s British comic strip Modesty Blaise is a camp, star-studded pop-art romp that brilliantly satirises the Bond-mania of the time.

With an introduction by George Cruse-Drew (UWE MA Curating student at Watershed).

Black and white photo of an older man helping a younger man adjust a bow tie in a kitchen setting.

Please note: This was screened in July 2026

A hilarious cautionary tale about the perils of independent filmmaking starring Steve Buscemi as a penniless New York screenwriter with big cinematic ambitions.

With a Zoom introduction from director Alexandre Rockwell

Please note: This event took place in July 2026

Café & Bar, Watershed

It’s time to prove your film knowledge at this year's 10th Anniversary Cinema Rediscovered Film Quiz — a night where deep-cut movie knowledge meets friendly competition.