Cinema Rediscovered – the UK’s leading festival of classic cinema – returns to venues in and around Bristol UNESCO City of Film from Wed 24 - Sun 28 July 2024 with its 8th annual edition offering a mix of screenings, expert-led talks, Q&As, workshops, cinema walks, a quiz and a multitude of starting points for lively conversation.  

In all, the 2024 programme will feature over 50 events, including big screen showings of new restorations, international re-discoveries and film-on film-rarities.  

Among the highlights will be an exploration of corruption and scandal in New Hollywood cinema; a strand called Dangerous Divas inspired by Rita Hayworth’s electric performance in newly restored Gilda (1946) and a whole host of UK premieres including two 4K restorations of films by the Bristol-born, Oscar® and BAFTA nominated director J. Lee Thompson (1914 – 2002), both featuring strong performances from two recently lost British female leads, Glynis Johns and Sylvia Syms. 

The Weak and the Wicked  (1954), a women-in-prison melodrama, stars Glynis Johns (better known for her role as Mrs Banks in 1964’s Mary Poppins and who died in January 2024 aged 100) alongside a rising talent from Swindon: Diana Dors. The second Thompson screening will be of the hard-hitting No Trees in The Street (1959), set in the slums of pre-war London and starring the late Sylvia Syms (1934-2023) in a moving performance as the gentle girl who refuses to marry the cheap racketeer.   

Further details of the festival line-up will be revealed before the end of April when Early Bird festival passes go on sale.

To keep up-to-date with news about the festival, register your interest and join the Cinema Rediscovered newsletter. You can also follow Cinema Rediscovered on Facebook, Instagram, Letterboxd and X.

Cinema Rediscovered is a Watershed production. Its principal funder is BFI, awarding funding from the National Lottery.  

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